Fortune Favours the Bold
by capricapra
Summary: NOMINATED FOR THE LEMONADE STAND FIC OF THE WEEK! Inspired by Jane Austen's Persuasion. At 18, Bella's respected family prevent her from running away with poor orphan Edward. Years later and their fortunes have reversed. Edward is a rich music producer. Bella is an impovershed writer living with her sister, a single mother. But Edward and Bella's paths are about to cross again...
1. Chapter 1

**_Fortune Favours the Bold_**

**Welcome to my newest story! **

**This story will jump back and forth between two different times- the past, starting at late 1999, when Bella and Edward were 18, and 2012, when they are 30/31. I hope that it won't be too confusing.**

**This story will be angsty in places, and some of the plot direction may feel familiar, because this story is inspired by one of my favourite novels, Jane Austen's Persuasion. Those of you that aren't familiar with it won't miss out by not knowing the story because it's not a crossover.**

**The story is going to be set mainly in the English county of Warwickshire and Britain's second city, Birmingham, with occasional scenes in London and New York.**

**I don't have a beta for this story, but I try very hard to make sure that everything written is correct in terms of grammar and syntax. If I've made any glaringly obvious mistakes, please let me know. **

**I hope you enjoy this story. I would love to hear your opinions on its progression- reviews are brilliant to receive! I'm also on Facebook as Capri Capra, so if you'd like to discuss things there, please come find me! **

**Lastly, the disclaimer!**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely Jane's humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**CC xxx**

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter One**

January, 2012

Bella Swan turned over in bed and groaned softly at the thought of facing the bitterly cold Monday morning. _Coffee. I would sell my soul for good coffee right now._

She was tempted to go back to sleep, but she could hear movement upstairs. Bella knew that if she didn't get out of bed, she'd waste the day lounging, and she really needed to write today. She had been asked to write an article for a local magazine on ancient oak trees in rural Warwickshire, previously known as The Forest of Arden in Shakespeare's day. It wasn't particularly interesting but she couldn't afford to turn down work.

Bella took a deep breath, swung herself out of bed and grabbed the old tartan blanket that topped her duvet and wrapped herself in it, jumping up and down to get the blood flowing to her toes, which were freezing despite the thick socks she had worn to bed.

Before she climbed the stairs from her basement bedsit up to the kitchen of the small terraced house in Stratford-upon-Avon she shared with her sister, niece and nephew, she glanced out of her tiny window. It was still dark outside, despite it being 7.15am, and it was lightly snowing. Bella groaned again. She hated snow, slush, cold and wet. Grumbling under her breath, she trudged up the stairs to the kitchen.

"Auntie Bella! You're up!" George, her seven year-old nephew cried, getting up from his seat at the breakfast table to hug her around the waist. "We were going to come down with coffee for you, but we didn't want make it wrong, or to spill it!"

"How sweet!" Bella ruffled his soft honey-blond mop and kissed his forehead. "But very sensible. Save the carrying of hot liquids until you're older, OK? I don't want you two to burn your hands!"

She looked over at Gemma, George's twin sister, who looked up from her dog-eared copy of Dick King-Smith's _The Sheep-Pig_ and smiled.

"We did put the kettle on, though, Auntie Bella, so you can make coffee the way you like it."

"Thanks, Gem." Bella got out the coffee, wishing yet again that they could afford proper, freshly ground coffee rather than the pathetic instant stuff. _Perhaps Tyler will come through for me sometime soon. _

Tyler Crowley, her literary agent, had had her manuscript for three months now, but whenever she asked him about it, he brushed her off, telling her that he was still trying to get her 'out there', whatever that meant. He was the only agent who would take her on, however, and beggars couldn't be choosers.

"Where's your mother this morning?" Bella asked of her sister Rosalie, once she had had her first gulp of terrible but fully loaded instant coffee.

"Mummy's finishing getting ready. She got a job for this week." George answered, just as the sound of Rosalie's heels could be heard coming down the narrow staircase. "But she's not very happy about it!"

Bella saw for herself a moment later. Her beautiful older sister was dressed impeccably as usual, in a pair of black pinstripe trousers, grey shirt and dusky pink ballet cardigan, with a pair of mid-heeled plain black patent Mary Janes on her feet. The clothes and shoes were designer, but from several seasons ago. Rosalie had very classic taste and maintained her wardrobe well, so had not needed to spend much money replacing clothes (which was a good thing as there were some months where she and Bella could barely afford shampoo). Her long honey-blonde hair was tied into a neat French twist, and her make-up discreet and flattering, but it failed to hide the tiredness and the stress in Rosalie's hazel eyes.

"Hey Rosie. Georgie says you're working this week." The slight scowl on Rosalie's face grew bigger. Bella made her sister a very strong coffee.

"Yes. I've got to trek all the way into central Birmingham to a marketing firm full of sleazebags in the snow because their receptionist is off sick." She shuddered slightly. "But I can't say no this month. Not with having to pay off Christmas. Plus both these two need new shoes. Morning babies!"

Rosalie bent down to sweep her son and daughter into a big hug. As she watched her Bella's heart broke for her older sister. She hated temping, and some of the places her agency sent her treated her like shit, but the agency gave her flexibility to work around the children and paid her a retainer, so there was always a little money coming in. _One of these days, Royce King, someone's going to destroy you the way you destroyed the happiness of my family._

"Do you want a lift to the station? I can drop you and take the twins to school."

"No need. Dad's coming round soon. He's working in Birmingham all week so he's going to drive me in, and we'll drop the kids off on the way." Rosalie replied, accepting the coffee from Bella. She wrinkled her pretty nose as she took a sip. "One of these days, Bellsie, I swear, we're going to have a proper Italian espresso machine that churns out proper _caffe_ instead of this crap." Rosalie, like Bella, mourned the sacrifice of proper coffee, but they had agreed that it was a luxury they could not afford.

"I know, Sis."

"So, what time did you get in last night? You look wrecked."

"I got in at 1am. We had some trouble getting rid of the last drinkers at kicking-out time and the bar was a complete state."

"Do you ever think about working somewhere a bit more, I don't know... upmarket?" Rosalie suggested, not for the first time. "You might as well call that place 'The Wolfpack.' That pub is a complete dive. With your looks and your perky... assets," Rosalie raised her eyebrows and glanced at Bella's chest "you could get a bar job at one of the hotel bars or something."

"Rosie, no hotel bar would let me write in between serving, or let me take off at a moment's notice to do an article, or let me keep my own tips. Those guys who drink at The Stag might be Neanderthals, but they're predictable Neanderthals, predictable, _generous_ Neanderthals. And I know how to bat back the innuendos whilst still seeming cute and tip-worthy. I'd rather be dealing with them than slimy, smarmy businessmen with a sense of entitlement."

Rosalie appraised Bella in her thick navy pyjamas, still wrapped in the tartan blanket. Although it was clear from their similar heart-shaped faces and mannerisms that they were sisters, Rosalie had always been described as beautiful, tall, blonde and striking, while Bella was girl-next-door pretty. She had thick dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes with a wide smile, and under the shapeless clothes she usually wore, Bella possessed a petite, curvaceous body, still perky and tight, words Rosalie would not use to describe her own anymore, having given birth to two children. It didn't surprise her that the thugs that frequented The Stag gave her money, hoping to get into her pants. But Rosalie knew that no man would ever get in there. Bella's heart still belonged to her first love. Her first, _lost_ love. The one that got away.

Rosalie swallowed the feelings of guilt and shame that overcame her whenever she thought of the sacrifices Bella had made for their family. Her younger sister's independence was curbed when she moved into Rosalie's house to help raise Gemma and George after Rose's asshole ex-husband Royce King ran off with all the Swan family money, leaving her a single mother. Bella's hopes of doing a prestigious creative writing course and being a writer full-time were eschewed in favour of getting a steady job and contributing to the now meagre household income.

Most of all, Rosalie reflected, Bella's first sacrifice had been the biggest. For the reputation of the Swan family, after much persuasion, Bella had sacrificed her heart. But even nearly twelve years later, at the age of thirty, it still belonged to her first love, Edward. Bella hadn't so much as looked at another man since Rosalie, her mother Renee and her father Charlie, stopped her from travelling around the world with him and they had broken up.

"..._If you run away with him, Bella, it will destroy the respectability of the Swans. What if it doesn't work? How can you be so sure he's the love of your life? What are you going to do for money? You'd really sacrifice our reputation, Dad's standing in this community, make us the source of gossip for years to come, to run away with a scruffy boho musician who can't even afford a haircut?..."_

Instead, Bella went to university at prestigious Durham, Charlie's alma mater, to read English, coming out with a distinction. She went out with the sons of Charlie's work colleagues and with Royce's friends, always under duress. She never argued with Renee when she made her to the salon or shopping at Selfridges in Birmingham, even though she hated it. Bella played the dutiful daughter, and the Swan family tried to ignore the lack of light and sparkle in Bella's big brown eyes.

"Hello?" Charlie chose that moment to come in, breaking Rosalie from her guilt-trip. He was wearing one of his many old but well cared-for tailored suits, a dark grey one, but both sisters thought that it looked a little big on him, like he'd lost a little weight. He was nearly fifty-seven, but sometimes, with the consequences of his bad decisions weighing upon him, he felt much, much older.

"Hi Dad. How are things?"

"Hello Grandpa!" The twins surrounded him and he hugged them to his sides.

"How are my munchkins today? Looking forward to school?" He asked warmly.

"Yep! It's games day! I'm gonna play football in the snow!" George cried, demonstrating a side-kick and nearly taking out Charlie's shin in the process.

"Great stuff, Georgie! And what about you, princess?" Charlie turned to his quieter grandchild.

"I don't like football." Gemma murmured. "Or snow. But we're starting a new book in English. That should be good."

"I don't think there's a single book you've read that you didn't like, Gemma." Charlie laughed. Gemma softly giggled her agreement, and doing so, reminded her grandfather of her aunt, Bella. Gemma and Bella were similar in character, interests and looks. If Gemma's hair were brown instead of honey-blonde, she would have looked exactly like Bella did at age seven.

"Dad, have you had breakfast yet? Do you have time for some toast?" Bella asked, knowing her father probably hadn't bothered to feed himself this morning and would otherwise probably end up succumbing to an unhealthy bacon and egg sandwich later in the morning.

"That'd be great, Bells." He sat down at the breakfast table. "Actually, I do need to talk to you about something." He glanced at Rosalie and then the twins, indicating that it was a grown-up conversation.

"Gemma, George, have you two brushed your teeth yet?" Rosalie asked. Both shook their heads. "Up you go to the bathroom. I want to see and hear squeaky-clean teeth, OK? And put your outdoor things on too. Wrap up warm, babies."

"OK, Mummy." They thundered up the stairs.

"I thank my lucky stars that those two are such little angels. If they'd been terrors, on top of everything else..." Rosalie began, but decided she didn't want to dwell on Royce or the Swan Family Fuck-Ups at that time. "...anyway, what's up, Dad?"

"Well..." Charlie paused whilst Bella placed tea and toast in front of him. "The thing is, girls..."

"Dad! Out with it!" Rosalie cried impatiently.

"Daddy?" Bella coaxed him gently.

"Riverview Place has finally been sold." He said eventually, before gulping at his tea.

"Oh." Rosalie replied, turning to Bella, who swallowed hard, trying to contain the rising emotions within her. _It's finally gone. My childhood home._ "Bella?"

"I'm OK." She whispered, but a tear slipped from her eyes. She wiped it away hastily before looking at her concerned father.

"I'm sorry Bells."

"No, it's fine. We had to do it. We needed to sell it." Bella replied gently, although she wanted to scream out loud at the unfairness of it all. "Were you happy with the price? Who are the buyers?"

"They're paying the listed price. They didn't even try to bargain it down. The couple buying the house are doctors and have just moved into the area after several years abroad. The wife apparently fell in love with it even before she saw that it was on the river. Once she saw the water, the agent said that she turned to her husband and before she'd even opened her mouth, he had offered the full amount."

"So does that get us out of trouble?" Rosalie asked, daring to hope that they might finally be free of debt for the first time in six years, since Royce screwed them over.

"Mostly. It means that I can pay off last year's tax bill from the Inland Revenue and all the loans, but after I pay off the percentage that's owed to your mother, it doesn't leave me with enough to pay the new tax bill that we're going to be hit with this April and buy myself somewhere to live."

"What? Why do you have to pay _her_ anything?" Rosalie exclaimed, her temper flaring. "She left us for that fucker when you needed her the most, that _rich_ fucker..."

"She's entitled to it, tiger." Charlie replied softly. "We bought that house together."

"You're too good to her. She breaks your heart in your darkest hour, runs off with your protégé, and you still want to protect her."

"Rosalie, I know it's hard for you to understand. Both our spouses hurt us so much, but your love for Royce died with his betrayal. Mine didn't. I don't think it ever will."

Rosalie and Charlie glanced at Bella, whose tears were now flowing freely.

"Bella?"

"I'm OK. I'm glad that the people buying Riverview Place seem like they will appreciate it and treat it right." She replied once her sobs settled. "But where are you going to live? You're not going to keep living on _The Black Swan, _are you?" Bella added, referring to Charlie's beloved black narrow-boat, currently moored on the river outside Riverview Place. He had been living on it for a year, ever since he realised that he could no longer afford to run the large house, which had been let to tenants until the previous month.

"Well, girls, that's the other part of this saga." Charlie took out his handkerchief, leaned across the table and wiped away Bella's tears. "You ok for me to continue, my little lamb?"

Bella smiled at Charlie's use of his nickname for her. He always called fiery Rosalie his tiger, and quiet Bella his little lamb. There had been only one time in her life that anyone could remember when she'd spoken back to him and her mother Renee.

"Yes, Dad. Please."

"I'm leaving my job as Chief Crown Prosecutor." Bella and Rosalie gasped. Charlie had held the prestigious role for fifteen years. He was in charge of the region's public prosecutions and was a very well respected criminal lawyer.

"What? Why?"

"Several reasons, money being the final one. My role's become too managerial. It's been six months since I actually tried a case. I spend more time in the car than anywhere else, travelling across the region. The government is freezing salaries and stopping bonuses because of the recession and because of that, the next tax bill will put me right back into debt again. "

"So, what's next?"

"I've been offered and have accepted a post with a private firm of defence lawyers in Birmingham. I've already handed in my notice and this week, we're recruiting my replacement. I'm going to stay in post until he or she is trained up and then transition to my new job. It pays double what I earn now, girls."

"And where will you live?"

"The job comes with a golden hello, which is more than enough for me to rent an apartment in the city centre and moorings for _The Black Swan _here in Stratford." Charlie replied.

"You're going to live in one of those high-rise apartments? Dad, are you sure? Won't you hate the noise, the hustle and bustle...?" Bella asked. Charlie shrugged.

"It's the most convenient choice. I'll be able to walk to work, and on the weekends, I can come back to Stratford and stay on the boat." Charlie watched his daughters watching him sceptically. "It's better than rattling around in a house by myself. I've hated being in Riverview Place alone. I won't be working eighty hours a week unless I want to and because defence work pays so much better, with the extra income, I'll have us debt free by this time next year." He added.

Bella, despite being full of sorrow and loss, got up and wrapped her arms around her father's neck from behind.

"It'll be fine. You'll get used to the city, and we'll help you decorate your new place. And you'll be able to spend more time sailing and with Gemma and George." She told him, looking at her sister to add her support too. Bella knew that Charlie wouldn't have made such big decisions without agonising it for eons.

"Yeah, Dad. It'll be ace." Rosalie echoed, trying to sound enthusiastic.

"I'm hoping that, in time, I can help you two out of this dump and into a house that suits you better."

"We'll see, Dad."

Rosalie and Bella each possessed a very strong independent streak. Despite their hardships, neither of them wanted to be financially reliant on their father at the ages of thirty-three and thirty respectively. If Charlie got to a point where he had plenty of disposable income going spare, which certainly had not been the case since Royce ran off and their mother Renee left, the sisters agreed that they wanted him to put it into trust for the twins and any future grandchildren, to replace the money Royce had stolen. They wanted to get themselves out of the dark little house that they begrudgingly called home.

"OK, we'd better get going, right?" Rosalie stood up quickly and walked to the foot of the stairs. "Gemma? George? Let's go, babies!"

Whilst the twins thundered back down the stairs, Bella retrieved from the fridge the lunchboxes she'd prepared the day before and shoved them into the kids' bags, wrapped up a banana and a slice of fruit cake for Rosalie to have later (Rosalie could never face eating so early in the morning so had breakfast at 10am) and kissed them all goodbye as they headed out the door.

After she watched her family leave, she went back down to her basement hidey-hole and crawled back into bed. She reached under it and retrieved a plain white shoebox, tied with a light blue ribbon. She carefully pulled the ribbon open and lifted the lid off. Her heart leapt a little as she took in the treasure inside. Thousands of photographs, old concert tickets, train tickets and other little mementoes, all memories of the best eleven and a half months of her life. She sifted through them until she found the one she wanted.

_Me in Edward's arms, sitting on the bench by the water at Riverview Place, the sun shining, my beautiful house in the background. We were so happy. The two of us so perfectly aligned. Life was perfect. Why did the bubble have to burst?_

-cc-

* * *

**I've posted the second chapter as well, so if you're liking it so far, please read on!**

**CC xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone!**

**Here's the second chapter and the first to be set when Bella and Edward are teenagers. **

**I hope you like it! Please let me know what you think! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Two**

September 1999

Bella's had managed to get past her eighteenth birthday without too much fuss. Her sister Rosalie and her fiancé Royce had bought her a rather ostentatious gold and sapphire necklace. Her mother and father had bought her a state of the art computer. Her best friend Angela bought her a new journal and a collection of pens. There had been no party, just dinner at the pub just a few hundred yards along the river from the Swan family house in Stratford-upon-Avon, Riverview Place.

Bella went to school in the town of Warwick, twelve miles away from her hometown, at The Warwickshire Academy, a private and very well-regarded school. Despite being quite far from home, her mother Renee had insisted that she and Rosalie go there because of the school's strong academic reputation, and because she had gone there herself.

Bella didn't particularly mind. In truth, she'd gotten used to the academic demands of the school and her parents, and part of her enjoyed meeting the challenges. She adored English literature and modern languages; she desperately wanted to write for a living, perhaps as a journalist but definitely as an author. She had other ambitions, however, that had nothing to do with academia. Bella Swan wanted to travel, and to fall in love. She wanted to see mountains and beaches, oceans and rivers, green and yellow, urban sprawl and country, rainforest and cacti, city dust and desert sand. And most of all, she wanted deep, passionate and yearning, fairy-tale worthy love.

On the Monday after her birthday weekend, a week after the first term of Bella's final year at school had started, she was called into the office of the Headmistress. Desperately worried as to why she, a grade A, quiet, perfectly behaved student, was being hauled up in front of the Head, she trembled slightly as she raised her hand to knock on the door.

"Come in."

Bella took a deep breath before pushing the door open.

"You wanted to see me, Mrs Cope?"

"Ah, Miss Swan, please take a seat." Mrs Cope, the elderly but formidable, flame-haired headmistress of The Warwickshire Academy, replied. Bella nodded meekly before sliding into the offered chair.

Slumped in the other chair opposite Mrs Cope's desk, one long leg bent under the chair, the other stretched out languidly, was a tall, rather lanky teenage boy, who looked uncomfortable in the navy suit that comprised the school's uniform (trousers for boys, skirts for girls). He had a shock of unruly copper-coloured hair. He did not turn his head towards her, choosing instead to remain looking out of the window behind the headmistress.

"Mr Cullen, this is Isabella Swan. Miss Swan, this is Edward Cullen. Edward is new to The Academy. He's just moved into the area..." Mrs Cope's voice tailed off and she glanced at Edward, who still hadn't looked at Bella, and whose jaw was set and rigid. Bella heard him swallow loudly, and noticed that his Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he did so.

"Welcome to Warwickshire, Edward." Bella said quietly. "I'm Bella."

Edward suddenly turned to face her, as if snapped out of a trance. His verdant green eyes, very slightly misty, met hers and Bella felt her heart lurch wildly, as if it were on a pendulum, and the sight of his eyes had set it moving so it crashed from one side of her to the other. _He's so handsome. More than any famous actor or rock star I've ever seen on TV. _

"Hi, I'm Edward. Not Ed or Eddie. Just..."

"...Edward." Bella finished for him. "I get it." She smiled at him gently.

"Isabella, since you and Edward have quite similar schedules, and a free period first thing this morning, I thought that you would not object to showing Edward around and answering any questions he might have?"

Bella and Edward did not break eye contact as Bella replied,

"Of course not, Mrs Cope. I don't mind at all."

-cc-

For Edward Cullen, 1999 had been the shittiest year of his existence. It had started on New Year's Day with the death of his beloved dog, a chocolate brown Labrador called Bizzie, and things had gotten steadily worse.

Edward was the youngest of three children. He had an older half-sister, Esme, who was the daughter of his mother Elizabeth and her first husband, the late John Platt, who had died suddenly in a car accident when Esme was two. Elizabeth remarried when Esme was five, to Edward Cullen Senior. Edward's brother Emmett was born a year later, and Edward three years after that, when Esme was nine.

The Cullens were a happy family, who lived in the suburbs of Leeds. Edward Senior treated Esme as if she was his own child, and the three siblings were very close. They weren't wealthy. They lived in a rented house and had second hand cars, but they felt rich enough. Edward Senior was a humble music teacher, Elizabeth was a nursery assistant until Edward was of school age, and then she trained as a pre-school teacher.

Esme had just started medical school in Manchester when Edward Senior introduced her (and the rest of his family) to his cousin Carlisle, who was much younger, the same age as Esme. Carlisle's father was a missionary, and Carlisle had grown up living all over the world before deciding to settle in England for medical school, also in Manchester. It didn't take very long for Esme and Carlisle (who were not blood relations) to fall in love and become inseparable. They married the day after they graduated, and started their basic training.

Esme and Carlisle, both good, pure souls, soon began to wish that they could do more for people in need. Three years after qualifying, when Edward had just turned seventeen, Carlisle and Esme joined _Medecins Sans Frontieres_, and after a few months of training, they were sent on their first posting, to Rwanda, in February 1999. This was another shitty thing, in Edward's opinion. It was one thing for his beloved sister to be an hour or two away in Manchester, but quite another for her to be away for up to a year at a time. In an unstable African country. With little or no means of communication.

Things didn't get any better in March. Elizabeth was diagnosed with breast cancer in February, and it had already spread to her bones. Elizabeth hid her illness from her family for a month, waiting until her sons had absorbed Esme's departure, before tearfully explaining that she was unlikely to see the upcoming summer, let alone the turn of the Millennium.

The Cullens were devastated. Emmett took a leave of absence from his law degree at University of Warwick and came home. Edward stopped going to school, not caring that he was missing his final examinations or his place at Birmingham Conservatory of Music. He was only preparing to go in order to please his parents. Edward Senior took compassionate leave from the school where he taught and all of them desperately tried to get hold of Esme and Carlisle.

Esme and Carlisle got the message and made it back to Leeds just three days before Elizabeth died in May that year, painlessly, surrounded by her loved ones. They upheld Elizabeth's wishes to be cremated and her ashes to be scattered over the Yorkshire Moors.

Esme nearly didn't return to Rwanda, worried about leaving her family, but Edward Senior made her promise that, no matter what happened, she and Carlisle would continue their good work. Emmett and Edward agreed wholeheartedly. Even though Edward thought that it was shitty that his big sister and brother-in-law were gone, he was unfailingly proud of the work they were doing, work he knew he could never do.

None of them were prepared for what happened the very next day. Edward Senior went to bed after their long conversation and never woke up. It was 1st June. His and Elizabeth's twenty-second wedding anniversary. Edward brought him coffee and dropped it all over the floor when he realised that his father was not breathing. That he was cold and blue.

Edward Cullen Senior died of a massive heart attack in his sleep, although privately the Cullen siblings felt it was more to do with a broken heart. Once the coroner had ruled he died of natural causes, Esme and Carlisle, Emmett and Edward organised the second funeral in a month, and scattered Edward Senior's ashes where they scattered Elizabeth's. The day after Edward's eighteenth birthday.

Esme once again doubted her career choices, and worried about her little brothers even more. Edward and Emmett insisted she fulfil her promise to Edward Senior.

"But where will you live? What about school and university and...?" she fretted.

"Edward could move to Warwick with me. We could share a flat and you could finish up sixth form* while I go to uni, and then the year after, you'd be free to go to university or do whatever you wanted." Emmett suggested.

"That's not a bad idea. There's enough from Dad's insurance policy to pay for rent and bills for a year or two." Esme agreed quietly. "It's just such a shame there's nothing more." She added sadly.

"We'll get by, Sis." Edward told her stoically, even though he felt sick at the thought of being wrenched away from everything and everyone he'd ever known. "I'll move down with Em, but I don't know about school. I just..."

"You have to finish school!" Esme cried. "Mum would be horrified if you didn't! Even if you don't go to university afterwards, you need to have some sort of back-up. Remember what Dad always said...?"

_"Education is never wasted."_ Edward reminisced. "OK, fine."

Esme and Carlisle left the following week, promising to keep in touch as much as possible. Emmett and Edward found a decent enough apartment in the Warwickshire town of Royal Leamington Spa, where most of the students of University of Warwick lived if they weren't staying on campus, and then they set about trying to find Edward a place in school.

It was easier said than done.

All the state school places and sixth form college places in their catchment area were full, oversubscribed even. By the start of the school year at the beginning of September, Edward was still without a school.

"Look, Emmett, maybe this is fate or something. Maybe I'm not supposed to finish up school. Right now, I'm doing nothing, draining away our already meagre funds. Maybe I should just get a job." Edward said whilst they were waiting for their food at their new local pizza place.

"Edward, can you imagine what Mum and Dad would say if they were still alive? Mum would practically handcuff herself to you and frogmarch you to school and back. Nope, there's got to be some way of getting you into school this year."

"Maybe if I changed my subjects? Dropped Music in favour of Geography so I could get into that school up at the top of town?"

"No way. That place is a shithole and a half. I was glad when they said they couldn't take you. You'd have to work your butt off to get a passing grade because you'd have to do two years' work in one. Besides, music is your lifeblood, baby Bro. You can't drop it. How many kids can play the piano, the guitar and drums to concert performance level by the time they're just eighteen?"

Neither Edward nor Emmett took much notice of the older lady behind them in the line, even though she had the most spectacularly awful orange hair.

It was only when Edward and Emmett sat down at one of the plastic tables to eat their pizzas, that they realised someone had been behind them.

Shelly Cope, in eavesdropping, had taken quite a shine to the two handsome young men in front of her with the Yorkshire accents. Edward was clearly bright, and it sounded like he was talented as well. She approached them without trepidation.

"Hello young men. I promise you I'm not crazy." She said as they looked at her apprehensively when she approached. "I just couldn't help but overhear your predicament, and I'm pretty sure I can help." She scrawled on the back of a business card and handed it to them. "Give me a call."

She picked up her pizza box and walked off. Edward looked at the card.

_Shelly Cope M.A (Oxon) _

_Headmistress_

_The Warwickshire Academy_

_A Times Top 100 Private School_

They turned the card over.

**_Make an appointment to see me tomorrow. _**

**_My secretary will be expecting your call, Edward and Emmett. _**

**_Don't worry about the fees. We can work something out. _**

"Holy shit, Edward!" Emmett exclaimed. "That's the massive posh private school up the road from Warwick Castle. Supposed to be the best school in a 100 mile radius."

"Do you think she's for real?"

"Only one way to find out."

-cc-

Edward, a natural pessimist, had been doubtful that Shelly Cope would be able to help, or that they could come to an arrangement about the fees. But after five minutes of listening to him play Rachmaninoff without sheet music on the piano, she turned round and told him that The Warwickshire Academy were prepared to take him for the year on a full scholarship, on the grounds that he took Music and performed at the school's various concerts through the school year. Edward agreed, but was worried that they would push him to go to university. He wasn't sure that that was the direction he wanted to take his music. He was far more interested in blending classical music with contemporary, in experimenting.

Edward was still sceptical when he turned up for his first day, and his anxiety shot up when Shelly Cope announced that she had a tour guide lined up for him. He expected that they would be the overly inquisitive, overwhelmingly helpful school spirit type who would try to get him to socialise. _Shudder. _Hehad hoped to keep himself to himself, to get through the year and disappear. Edward found it hard to adjust to new people and missed his small group of friends from Leeds, who he'd known since he was five. He was also worried that the posh kids at the school would take the piss out of him with his Northern accent, and the fact that he clearly didn't belong there. It wasn't that he couldn't stick up for himself, quite the opposite in fact, but Edward just didn't want the hassle.

Edward was therefore determined that he would let the tour guide show him around and that he would be polite, but that he would make no other effort to get to know his fellow student.

That was, until she opened her mouth.

"Welcome to Warwickshire, Edward. I'm Bella."

Hers was the most melodic voice he'd ever heard. Sweet and lilting, but crisp, unsullied by a regional accent like his own. He turned to her and was shocked to see that Bella, owner of the perfect voice, was perhaps the most perfectly pretty girl he'd ever seen. He was particularly enchanted by her doe-like brown eyes and the long mane of glossy chestnut hair, barely restrained by a ponytail band. Where Bella had felt her heart crash about at the sight of him, Edward felt his heart, fractured from loss, start to heal.

"Hi, I'm Edward. Not Ed or Eddie. Just..." He stammered. _God, I sound like such a dork. _

"...Edward. I get it." Bella smiled at him before looking away, her cheeks pinking up. Edward felt another emotion then. Lust.

_I want her. I need her. _

_She is my salvation._

-cc-

"So, um, I think that's everything." Bella said, concluding her tour at the cafeteria. "As I said, you don't have to eat on-site. Sixth-formers are allowed to go off school grounds at lunchtime."

"Where do you go at lunchtime?" Edward asked. "You and your friends, boyfriend, whatever...?"

"Um, occasionally my best friend Angela and I go to a little cafe a couple of streets away, but more often than not, we bring a packed lunch and eat it in the library or music room. Um, we're not fans of the cafeteria."

"No? Food's rubbish, is it?"

Bella smiled inwardly at his turn of phrase. At his velvety voice, enlivened by his Yorkshire accent.

"It's fine, but I'm vegetarian and they're not particularly careful about keeping meat dishes away from the veggie food." Bella shuddered at the memory of the lunch ladies trying to serve her vegetable lasagne with the spoon that had just been serving up hamburgers.

"I see." He murmured, noticing that she didn't mention a boyfriend. "And what about after school? Do you and Angela and your boyfriends hang out somewhere?"

"You know, you're not particularly subtle about trying to find out whether I have a boyfriend. You should just ask me." Bella replied, cheeks burning. "Do you have a girlfriend?"

Edward laughed.

"No, love. No girlfriend. You're the first girl my own age I've spoken to since moving down here a couple of months ago." He replied. "So, do you have a boyfriend, or are you a free agent?"

Bella's breath caught in her throat when Edward called her 'love' before she remembered that he was from the North. Everyone called each other 'love' up there according to her mother. Renee was rather disparaging of Northerners, but Bella rather liked Edward's accent and the way he said things.

"No boyfriend." She told him, looking at the floor.

Edward leaned forward and tentatively tilted her chin up so that their eyes met.

"Well, the guys round here must be fucking blind, because you're the prettiest girl I've ever seen." He whispered.

"I've been asked out a couple of times but..." she shrugged.

"Oh I get it. A little heartbreaker, are you?" Edward said, shocked at the flirtatious tone of his voice. _I guess I've picked up a couple of things from Emmett after all._

"I don't see the point in hanging out with people with whom I can't have a decent conversation." Bella replied in an uncharacteristically bold tone. "I don't like to lead anybody on, and most of the guys here, they don't talk about things that interest me. I'm not into sports or clubbing or getting drunk or being someone's trophy."

"Wow." Edward was stunned. He realised that he had only just scratched the surface of this quiet, pretty little lamb, and he was both intrigued and turned on.

Bella misinterpreted his 'Wow.'

"Sorry. But I'm sure you won't be short of girls throwing themselves at you once you hit the common room. Girls far prettier than me. New blood, a guy as good looking as you? You won't have any trouble." She replied, trying to suppress a bubble of frustration_. _"I should get to my English class. Good luck."

She started to walk away.

"Bella, wait!" She turned round at his impassioned plea.

"You didn't get what I meant, love." Edward looked up and down the empty corridor before gently pulling her by the arm back into the alcove by the doors to the cafeteria.

"God, you're gorgeous." He whispered. "Especially when you get all worked up."

"Edward..." Bella's body started to respond to the lust in Edward's eyes and voice. Something deep inside her tummy fluttered and contracted. Her nipples tightened and pressed against her shirt and blazer. Something about the way he looked at her made her want to rub her thighs together.

"And you're fascinating. Those things you find boring, I find boring. I don't like following the path well-travelled. And I respect anyone who doesn't beat around the bush."

"I hate to disappoint you, Edward. There's no mystery to me. I'm just Bella. A literature-loving, vegetarian introvert, whose idea of a fun night involves baking and poetry."

"That's your summary. I could give you my own. I'm just Edward. A music-loving antisocial orphan, whose idea of a fun night involves mixing Bach with Eminem on his decks. But my mysteries are still there waiting for you to discover them, and yours are waiting for me. So what do you say, Bella love? Let me take you for a coffee after school or something?"

It felt like an age before she answered him. Edward stood close to her, just millimetres between them, waiting for her to speak. He inhaled deeply, absorbing her sweet strawberry and jasmine smell, trying to stop his body from being too obvious with its arousal.

_Please, gorgeous girl. Let us get to know each other. Something tells me that we could be amazing together. _

"I'd like that." She eventually replied.

"Great."

Edward reached for her hand and squeezed it softly. As their warm skin met, sparks of attraction flamed and the first strands of a deep connection entwined between them.

-cc-

* * *

**The next update will be next Sunday or Monday. I would love it if you would leave a review, but I'm just happy that you're here reading! **

**CC xxx**

***Sixth form refers to the final two years of high school in the UK, for students age 16-18. This can either be done at a traditional school or in a sixth form college, which has a less formal environment. If you're interested, there's a good explanation on Wikipedia.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone!**

**Thank you so much to everyone who added this story to alerts and favourites, and to everyone who took the time to review. I'm so pleased that you're liking it so far! **

**I've made better progress than I thought I would this week so I'm posting two chapters today, but it will definitely be just the one chapter next week. I'm aiming to post weekly on Sundays. **

**Lastly, Ffn has not been behaving this weekend and a lot of updates haven't been showing up or people haven't got the links in emails. If you get a link and it's not working, please let me know via PM or Facebook. Hopefully the issue will be resolved soon. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**CC xxx**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

January 2012

"Do it again!" Edward Cullen cried, turning off the recorder. His latest project, producing urban act Riley-B's second album, was proving to be hard work.

"Dude, it was perfect! I ain't singing it again. Fuck you man!"

"You were flat at the end of the last chorus."

Uh-uh. No way. It was perfect!"

"_I'm_ the one producing this record. And if I say you were flat, you were flat! So do it again, or we're done here! I told you when you begged me to take time out of my busy schedule to produce this record. It's my way or no way!" Edward got up and made to leave.

"Wait, Mr Cullen. Please! He'll do it again, he just needs a few minutes!" Riley-B's snivelling manager, Benito, knew that if his client failed to secure Edward Cullen's endorsement on the all-important second album, when they'd already advertised that Edward was producing the album himself, Riley-B's career was as good as dead. And of course, Edward knew it too.

"Fuck that! That prick's a fucking slave driver!"

"I'm going to get a drink. You have ten minutes with your client to decide whether or not we're continuing."

Edward stepped out of the recording studio and walked down to his large office to pour himself a drink. He wanted Scotch, but didn't like his creative flow to be hampered by alcohol or caffeine, so stuck to ginger ale.

"Hey Edward!" Alice Brandon-Whitlock, Edward's business partner, whose main role was as head of Artistes and Repertoire (A&R), walked in. "You finally done with Riley-B?"

Alice was the same age as Edward, thirty. She was petite, elfin almost, with brown hair so dark it looked black, cut in a chic crop, and bright blue eyes. A New Yorker by birth and breeding, she always walked with a little spring in her step and never, ever went against her gut instincts.

"No! That little fuckwit turned up two hours late and is singing like a half-dead cockroach crawled into his throat. Anyway, what's Jasper up to?" Alice's husband was the third of their trio, and in charge of finances and marketing at AJE Records, the independent record label and music production company Alice, Jasper and Edward started nearly ten years earlier.

"He's still in with the accountants. He said it's going to be a late one and that we should just go on to dinner without him, but if you're still working too, maybe we should skip Nobu and order take-out."

"Yeah, sorry Alice. I know how much you love that place."

"Best Japanese in London!"

"I don't know about the best but it is most definitely the most expensive." Edward retorted. He just didn't see the appeal of eating little morsels of rice, seaweed, raw fish and soy, no matter how fashionable Japanese food became, or how delicious Alice proclaimed it was 'when done right.'

"Probably!" Alice laughed. "I know you and Jasper only go there to humour me. I don't think you two will ever really appreciate it, being vegetarian."

"I guess not."

"So, how long do you think you've got left with Riley-B?"

"I'm giving him ninety minutes more and if we don't wrap up the track tonight, I'm dropping it from the album."

"I'm going to order sushi for me. Jasper will eat whatever you choose, so what's it gonna be?"

"Pizza, please."

"Your usual?"

"That'd be great." Edward's stomach grumbled at the thought of his favourite pizza. Italian thin crust, spinach, mushrooms, red chilli, artichoke hearts, pecorino and ricotta cheese.

"I gotta admit, you got great taste in pizza toppings, apart from the lack of pepperoni, of course. Does that combo have a name? Where do I get it from?" _Yes, in my head, it's called Pizza Bella. _

"If you call Pulcinella and ask for a veggie special for Edward C, they'll know what to make."

"Got it. I'll order it to arrive for when you finish." Alice kissed him on the cheek. "Do you want me to come in once I'm done ordering?"

"Yes please." Edward grinned at his dear friend. "It might help the little shit behave in my studio."

"Cool. See ya in a few!" Alice swished out of the room.

Edward allowed himself a moment to remember the first time he tasted his favourite pizza, before heading back to the studio.

_"I don't know, Bella, love. Pizza without pepperoni, sausage and ham?"_

_"Just try it! It's creamy, sweet, spicy and earthy. And no innocent creatures died to make it!"_

_Bella held up a small piece to his lips. He hesitantly tried a bite. _

_"Damn, that's good!" Edward opened his mouth and Bella fed him the rest of the slice. _

_"See? Veggie can be yummy." She started to move her hand away but Edward caught her wrist and sucked her fingertips into his mouth, enjoying the way she gasped and her big eyes seemed to get even bigger at his actions._

_"I'm sorry I doubted your taste buds, love." He replied, before curling his arms around her waist. _

_"That's OK. I swear though_, mon ange_, one day, I'm going to completely convert you to vegetarianism. It's the way forward!"_

_"We'll see, love. We'll see." _

_A searing kiss, enhanced by the lingering flavours of pizza, ended the conversation for the time being._

Edward snapped back to reality and told himself off. Bella had been right, of course. Edward couldn't eat meat without thinking of her passionate assertions that because humans did not need to eat animals to survive, they shouldn't. The thought of it made his stomach turn.

_Why are you such a fucking masochist, remembering that girl? Bella made her choice. And it wasn't you._

-cc-

Ninety minutes later, Edward was finally happy with Riley-B's recording, and he finally got to sit down to his pizza in the antique cream leather armchair in his office, whilst Alice sat cross-legged on the matching sofa, balancing a bento box on her lap.

"Mm-hmm! Come to Mama!" She said as she wrapped her lips around her first morsel of tuna sashimi dipped in sesame and chilli sauce. "So good."

"Enjoying that, baby?" Jasper strode in, pulling off his suit jacket and tie before kissing his wife of nearly eight years. He was as lean and as tall as Edward at 6'2", with ash blond hair slicked back and tied in a short ponytail. He had been born in Houston, Texas but had not been back since leaving sixteen years earlier, at the age of eighteen. The place did not hold happy memories.

Alice nodded happily before pointing to Jasper's pizza box on the table.

"You were in with the accountants for ages, Jazz. Everything OK?" Edward asked.

"Mmm... let me settle in before I go into all that crap." Jasper grabbed a Sprite from Edward's mini-fridge, ignoring the beer as usual, and picked up his pizza box before sitting next to Alice, who scooted closer to him. Jasper looked into his wife's eyes and caressed the side of her face. _I am such a lucky fucker. Without Edward I'd be long dead. Without Alice I'd have no reason to stay alive. _

Edward caught the private moment between his two closest friends and immediately looked away, trying to suppress the envy and loneliness that rippled through him. He didn't begrudge them their mutual devotion, not at all. He had never seen two people so perfect for each other, so in tune, so in love, as Jasper Whitlock and Alice Brandon-Whitlock. _Except for me and Bella Swan. Once upon a time._

Truthfully, Edward had never felt pain like the pain he felt when Bella did not come travelling with him when they finished school. It even surpassed the grief he felt at the loss of his parents. Any joy he had felt in Bella's arms for the time they were together was overshadowed by his heartbreak at their separation, and he never wanted to experience such a thing again. He was torn, wishing for love at the same time as needing to protect himself from being hurt. As a result, he never let any woman get too close to him, no matter how lonely he was. And he never, _ever_, dated brunettes.

"Jazzy, tell us what happened in your meeting?" Alice asked eventually.

"Yeah, so we went through the figures and the bottom line is that we cannot afford our expansion plan for at least another three years."

"What? We made a healthy profit last year! We sat and worked out a really sensible proposal. The banks provisionally agreed to fund it!" Edward cried. "We could make that money back within just two years if we could do more production for acts outside our own, especially now we're working with some really big guns."

"The problem isn't our proposal, it's this place." Jasper replied, gesturing to the walls. "Having these premises in Soho was a great idea when we started nine years ago, but because it's leasehold and has less than sixty years on the lease, we can't sell it for the profit that we need to buy that place in Shoreditch."

"So what are our options?" Alice asked.

"We look for another property in London or we buy out the lease on this place and try to expand here."

"We can't stay here. We keep having to turn down or delay work because we don't have studio space. Artists hate coming here because Soho is so busy they get mobbed. The acoustics are awful so we can't build a studio that could record live music. That place in Shoreditch was perfect." Edward huffed.

"I totally agree, and because we're already working at full capacity, we can't make any more profit than we're already making to find anywhere suitable." Jasper agreed solemnly.

"So that's it? We're trapped here, turning over a nice profit, but never growing, never truly realising the potential AJE has?"

"Calm down, Edward!" Alice got up and started pacing. "There's something that we're missing. A solution to our problem is out there. We just gotta find it."

"Like what, darlin'?" Jasper asked.

Alice paused a second to absorb her husband's Texan accent. It was dulled from years of living in New York and London, but when it came out, it was sexy as hell. She intended to show him how much it affected her when they were in bed later that night.

"I don't know, but I hope it'll come to me."

Edward was tired. It had been a long day. He got up and kissed Alice on the forehead.

"I don't doubt it. We got this far trusting your instincts, Alice. We're not going to stop now."

-cc-

**Thank you for reading. Please read on for the next chapter. **


	4. Chapter 4

**And here's the second chapter for today, and it's another flashback one. A _lemony_ flashback!**

**I hope you enjoy it! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

April 2000

It was a Saturday afternoon and Bella was failing to study for her French exam. Instead, she was lying on her bed listening to Edward's latest composition. He had mixed a classical sounding piano piece of his own with a contemporary bassline sample and a complicated percussion rhythm. She closed her eyes and lost herself in the exquisite sounds, tapping the beat against her thigh. Her heart soared with the music, and then collapsed again. _I miss him. But no, we agreed that we were studying apart this weekend. _

"Bella? BELLA?" Renee bellowed up the stairs, interrupting the trance-like state Bella had entered. "Can you come down please?"

Bella sighed, wondering what she'd done wrong this time. She loved her mother, but she knew that Renee found her frustrating. Bella adored words, but didn't use hers very often; she rarely ventured an opinion unless put on the spot. She liked peace, respected order and didn't need much more to be happy. She could be very stubborn, but was almost never argumentative. In short, she was the polar opposite of Renee.

Renee was a social butterfly. She was loud, loved being the centre of attention and liked beautiful things, beautiful, _expensive_ things. She liked to be trendy, _en vogue._ With dark blonde hair, hazel eyes and a svelte figure, she knew she was attractive and played it up by dressing in tight designer clothes more suited to girls her daughters' age. If she didn't get her way she would make a fuss. She loved being a lawyer's wife, as it gave her a certain standing in local society, a standing further elevated when Charlie had been promoted to Chief Crown Prosecutor three years earlier.

Bella sighed, turned off her Discman and went downstairs.

"Mum?"

"Oh, there you are. What have you been doing?" Bella felt her mother's disdain as her eyes swept over Bella's slender figure, dressed in threadbare flared jeans clutched around her hips with an orange scarf belt, and an oversize black t-shirt printed with a film poster of Stanley Kubrick's _A Clockwork Orange_. "Good Lord, what a ridiculous t-shirt!"

Bella chose to ignore her mother's comments about her t-shirt. Edward had bought it for her, knowing she found the morality debate thrown up by the storyline fascinating. He was more than a little obsessed by the soundtrack; together they had watched the movie at least a dozen times, Bella burying her face into Edward's chest at the really scary bits.

"I've been studying for my French exam and listening to music." She replied.

"Good Lord, it's a beautiful sunny day. Why aren't you out and about?"

"My exam's in three days, Mum."

"Look, Bella. You've been cooped up for twenty-four hours. Why don't you go out for a while? Perhaps you and Angela could go to the cinema, get some pizza?"

Angela was at her grandmother's house in Oxford but Bella decided not to disclose this little fact.

"I don't know..."

"For Heaven's sake Bella! One night off won't kill you! Your sister managed to get decent grades without sacrificing a social life!"

"Um..."

"Besides, because your father's away at that conference and Royce has taken Rosalie to Paris for the weekend, I decided to err... invite my friends over for a ladies' night..."

_So you want to get rid of me. I get it. _

"Fine. I'll go out. Perhaps it would be a good idea if I stayed over so I'm not driving back late at night."

Renee's face lit up.

"That's a great idea! Have a girl's night of your own!"

An hour later, Bella had driven from Stratford to Edward and Emmett's flat in Leamington Spa, in Rosalie's old car, a shiny little black Ford Fiesta. Rosalie no longer had need of it because Royce had bought her a brand new Alfa Romeo Spider as an engagement present a month earlier.

"Oh, hey, Bella! What a surprise. Come in!" Emmett answered the door. Bella had gotten over her initial wariness of Edward's older brother, once she realised that he might look like a big grizzly bear, standing 6'5" and built like a tank, but that underneath he was a big softy, jovial, friendly and kind.

"I hope you don't mind me dropping by, but I was hoping to see Edward. I would have phoned but..."

"Don't worry about it. Edward's been missing you. He's been in a right mood. Go on through."

"Thanks Emmett."

Bella walked along the short corridor and knocked. She heard loud stomping towards the door.

"For fuck's sake, Em. I'm fine. I don't want tea. I don't want a beer. I don't want a sandwich, I... Bella!"

"Sorry. I just..."

"Oh, God, love, I've missed you!" Bella found herself swept into Edward's arms and pulled into his room.

"I missed you too! I couldn't concentrate. I kept listening to your music over and over again."

Edward walked Bella backwards until her calves hit the edge of his bed. He cupped her face with his hands and brought his lips to hers. Her mouth parted and Edward immediately accepted her invitation to explore her mouth, stroking his tongue inside to meet hers.

Bella gripped Edward's hips and pressed herself to him. He moaned at the feel of her warm, tight body against his and moved his hands from her face to her torso in order to hold her close.

"Please..." He whispered as Bella ran her hands up his jeans and under his t-shirt until her fingers found the bare skin of his sinewy, rippled abdomen. Bella nodded and he beamed. She let go of him to lie down and pulled off her t-shirt to reveal her small, round breasts, encased in a pretty blue polka-dot bra.

"God, I want you." She breathed in reply.

Edward looked over his girlfriend's beautiful body, lying in wait for his touch. He turned his CD player on and set it to play one of his own mixes of electronic and classical music, quite loud so that Emmett couldn't hear them.

"Sorry, love, I know it's not the most romantic soundtrack but..."

"It's amazing. Is that Barber's _Adagio for Strings_ I hear, mixed with the backbeat from _Saltwater?"_

Hearing Bella talk about his music was like stoking a fire under Edward's already aroused state.

"Yes! You like it?"

Bella reached for him and he came to lie in her arms, pulling off his faded grey Radiohead t-shirt in the process. Edward inhaled deeply, taking in her seductive jasmine and strawberry smell, before dipping his head to suck and nibble at her earlobe. Bella moaned gently.

"Love it, Edward. Love..." Bella found herself struggling to find words as Edward brushed his lips down her jaw and her long neck. "... that... love you..."

"Beautiful girl, I love you too." Edward whispered against her neck, running his hand up her torso until he was cupping one of her soft breasts in his large hand.

"Ah!" Bella cried as he squeezed her sensitive mound at the same time as sucking along her collarbone. She held his head against her by running her hands into his hair, lightly scratching his scalp with her short nails, and wrapped her legs around him, pressing his hard groin against her own hot centre.

Edward felt a shiver go down his spine. He had heard his parents describe the 'magic' that had happened between them when they fell in love, and he had seen his sister Esme go from sensible student to daydreaming, sighing, girly-girl over Carlisle, but he hadn't really understood it, didn't really get it, until he met Bella. Now, skin-to-skin, feeling her touch, Edward definitely got it. There was nothing better, no warmer feeling than being enveloped in the arms of the girl he loved and who loved him back.

Having thoroughly explored Bella's neck and collarbone, Edward brought his lips to the tops of her breasts, nuzzling the ravine between them, causing her to giggle and squirm. He rolled them onto their sides and wrapped his long arms around her, trying to find the snap of her bra.

"Damn thing...!" he cried when his fumbles failed to open it. "Bella love, would you...?"

Bella nudged him onto his back and straddled his hips before removing the garment and throwing it at him.

"Better?"

"Yep." Edward threw her bra behind them and coaxed her forward so that her breasts dangled in his face. "Much better, love." He closed his hot mouth around one of her tantalising pink nipples and flicked it with his tongue, savouring her sweet taste and the softness of her tits against the rough stubble over his jaw and chin.

Bella lost herself in the pleasure Edward drew from her body. She had felt crippled by her near-painful shyness for as long as she could remember, but somehow, when she was with Edward, she found herself able to say what she was thinking, to debate, to argue, to be silly and most of all, to show him exactly how amazing he made her feel.

"Edward..." She let her fingers idly graze the top button of his jeans.

"Fuck... Bella..."

"Yes please..." she retorted cheekily.

"Well, what my girl wants, she gets!"

Edward flipped her over onto her back and stood up to remove his jeans, slowly, for he had learnt that Bella's big eyes grew even larger when she watched him undress, and that in turn made him feel mighty powerful and turned on beyond belief. _I can't believe a girl as mint as Bella wants a waster like me._

Bella waited, holding her breath with anticipation. _This is my favourite part. Is it naughty to be so obsessed with my boyfriend's penis? Do I care?_

Edward kicked his jeans off and eased his boxers down so his hard cock sprung out. He looked back at his Bella who bit her lip and started to undo her button fly and the scarf holding her jeans to her hips. Edward helped her out by pulling her jeans down her legs to reveal her plain, but no less enticing, white cotton panties. Bella started to pull them down too but Edward stopped her.

"You want to do that part?" She asked. Edward nodded. It was his favourite part.

Edward lay in between her legs so that his nose was level with her hips and hooked his fingers under the elastic. As he pulled them down her hips, he kissed the skin he revealed, until his mouth was hovering right over Bella's opening, which was open with her desire and slick with moisture. Edward stroked up and down, looking at her face, her eyes closed with rapture, before introducing his index finger into her inviting folds. Bella gasped as he circled her clitoris and explored further down and pushed gently inside her. He moved his finger in and out slowly, occasionally running his thumb over her hyper-sensitive nub until she was panting and gasping.

"More, Bella?"

"Uh-huh!" Bella smiled but didn't open her eyes. "Another finger?"

Edward gladly obliged, marvelling at the tight heat around his digits. He felt a spike in his arousal for her as he imagined that heat around his very hard cock.

"Don't stop, don't stop, don't stop...!" Bella chanted as Edward sped up his movements. She could feel her cheeks, her chest, her whole body aflame as her orgasm came forth.

"Come, Bella, come." Edward urged. "You're close, aren't you, love?" He had only made her come with his fingers inside her a few times before, and feeling her canal contract and spasm had been incredible.

"Mmm..." _Hell yes! It's going to be epic! _Bella had heard of classmates getting bored with each other after a while, moving onto the next person that took their fancy, but each time with Edward just seemed to get better. The deep coil of orgasmic bliss that was about to release inside her, she knew, would be better than the last, and the one after this would be even better. "...oh, oh-hh, Oh, OH-HH!"

Bella arched her back and hips, thrusting against Edward's hand as a tidal wave pure ecstasy crashed over her.

"So sexy, love." Edward told her when she opened her eyes. "So fucking sexy."

"Thank you! Thank you, _mon ange._" Bella replied breathily.

"Fuck, you brought out the French, Bella!"

"Can't help it. So good! _Je t'aime, mon ange._" She repeated.

"Please, love. Can I... I need to..." he glanced at his cock, threatening to erupt. The first time he made her come, five months earlier, seeing her orgasm was so overwhelming that he did actually come, all over himself, the sheets and Bella. He had been mortified, but Bella had been flattered that she turned him on so much. Fifteen minutes and several kisses from his girl later and Edward was good to go again, such were the benefits of his youth and vigour.

Bella nodded and opened her arms to him. He crawled up and settled his weight over her.

"Whenever you're ready, my Edward."

He didn't wait any longer. He lined himself up and slid inside her. Bella instinctively brought her legs around him and curled her arms around his neck. Edward, ensconced in her embrace, began to move inside her, building up to thrusting as fast as he could manage, spurred on by her moans of delight. Bella tilted her hips up, seeking friction to increase her own pleasure. She didn't mean to be greedy but she always wanted more when it came to Edward.

"Sorry love, I'm not going to last that long." He warned, the foreplay having teased him a little further than he'd anticipated. Bella leaned up to whisper in his ear.

"Every moment with you here is amazing. I'm happy with whatever you give me."

With those words, Edward was no longer able to delay his gratification and with a roar, he spilled into Bella and collapsed on top of her.

-cc-

By the time Bella and Edward ventured out of Edward's room, Emmett had gone to the gym, and would go on to his part-time job as a waiter in an upscale French bistro. His natural charm, twinkly blue eyes and dimply smile earned him plenty of tips. Edward worked in the restaurant too, as a kitchen hand and busboy, on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday nights. He also played DJ sets in a student club on Wednesday nights and Thursday nights, but chose not to work on Fridays or Saturdays, because those were the only two nights when Bella was allowed out late by Charlie and Renee.

Bella, wearing Edward's Radiohead t-shirt, went to clean up in the bathroom, whilst Edward went to make them tea, dressed only in his boxers. They met back in the bedroom. Edward placed the mugs of tea on his bedside table, changed the CD to Moby's _Play_ and lay back against the headboard of his bed. Bella returned from the bathroom and clambered into his arms, so that her back rested against his chest. Edward wasted no time in pulling off her t-shirt so he could feel her smooth skin against his wiry chest, and nuzzling the side of her neck.

"Mmm... being apart was a fucking stupid idea." Edward murmured.

"I'll say!" Bella agreed. "I can't imagine how bad it'll be when..." she tailed off, not wanting to think of the end of the summer and the possibility of being apart from him for weeks at a time whilst she was at university.

"God, I know! I can't let myself think about it. If I had my way, we'd never be apart."

"You could come with me to Durham, perhaps go to uni too..." Even as Bella said it, however, she knew it wasn't right. Edward was extraordinarily intelligent, but the confines of traditional academia stifled him and his creativity. He lived for his musical creations, whether they were instrumental compositions or mash-ups of electronica samples and heavy baseline beats. He hadn't really decided what he was going to do when school finished. All he had decided was that he wanted to travel and he wanted a career in music, whether that was playing, DJ-ing or something else.

"No, love. The only reason to be in Durham is to go to university there. I just..."

"I know. It was a silly thing to say."

"What if we went away together?" Edward asked after a minute of quiet tea-sipping. "You could take a gap year and we could travel around seeing the world." Edward had a burning desire to see far-flung foreign lands, to feel the local vibes, to explore, to find his own rhythm and sounds. And now that he had Bella, he wanted her to be with him on his journey. The more he thought about it, the more excited he became.

"I would love to, so much, but my parents would never go for it."

"Bella, love, you're eighteen. You'd be practically nineteen by the time we went. An adult. Free to make your own choices."

"What about money? My parents would never pay for that. And you and Emmett practically live hand-to-mouth."

"We'd just need enough to pay for flights and essentials. We could just pick up seasonal work wherever we went. Cash in hand for picking fruit or tending bar, or passing out flyers. Between us, if we worked full-time over the summer, we could afford to get started. Think about it, love. A true adventure. We're young. We're bursting full with life. I don't want to be thirty, wondering where the fuck my twenties went because I spent it doing shit that didn't make me happy, for the sake of other people."

"What about university?"

"Get in touch and see if you can defer for a year, and when we're out on the road, we can make a decision about whether we return. University's not going anywhere. Convention dictates that you should go when you're eighteen but you don't have to. There's nothing to stop you from going a couple of years later, if at all. And you don't have to go to Durham just because your dad went there. You could go where you wanted."

Bella had been all over the world through her love of reading but had hardly experienced it for real. She had travelled to a few places with her family, but Renee (and Rosalie too) refused to go anywhere without being swathed in five-star luxury, so those trips abroad had never felt like adventures. She longed to see the world for real but she could not deny that the biggest appeal of Edward's plan was never being apart from each other.

However, as much as Edward's plan appealed to her, Bella was a little apprehensive. She knew her parents would not approve and that if she went through with it, her relationship with them would never be the same. She had always had one plan for her life before she met Edward- go to school, go to university, graduate with an English degree, go on to graduate school to study journalism or creative writing, become a writer. Now, although she still wanted to write, she was starting to doubt her rigid life-plan and that did scare her. Yet Edward had a point. _There is more than one way to get to my goal. And would my family really miss me? I'm a constant source of embarrassment to them. Not academic enough for Charlie. Not sociable enough for Mum. Not cool enough for Rosalie. _

Bella put down her tea on the bedside table, turned around and rested her head against Edward's chest.

"OK." She whispered before placing a kiss on the skin over Edward's heart.

Edward cupped her face and tilted it upwards to look into the big brown eyes that he adored so much.

"Bella, love, what are you saying 'OK' to?" He whispered, his heart soaring with hope.

"I want to see the world with you Edward. I want to be wherever you are. Always."

-cc-

* * *

**Thank you for reading! FFTB will be updated next Sunday night (but not until at least 10pm GMT/5pm Eastern time) with Chapter Five. **


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Hello everyone and sorry for a later update! I've just done three fourteen hour shifts in a row! So tired! As promised, here's the next chapter. Thank you to everyone who reviewed and added me to favourites/alerts! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

* * *

**Chapter Five**

January 2012

Bella stretched her arms above her head and then curled them around herself in satisfaction. She had finally submitted her oak trees article. She got up from her desk and glanced out of the window. The snow had finally receded and it was grey outside, but dry. Feeling a little stir-crazy after three days of solid writing and editing, she impulsively decided to go out. It was mid-morning. The twins were at school and Bella didn't have to pick them up until three o'clock.

Bella wrapped up warm, pulled on her boots and took herself for a walk. Stratford-upon-Avon was a lovely little town, enchantingly pretty, friendly and steeped in history. Bella thought herself extremely privileged to have been raised there, and was sure that growing up in Shakespeare's birthplace had been a big part of her desire and inspiration to write.

She walked into the town centre, which was relatively quiet as it was a mid-week winter morning. When the weather was warmer, Stratford was usually teeming with tourists, visiting the theatre, the Shakespeare museums, the gardens and the river. She window-shopped for a while before stopping at her best friend Angela's art and photo gallery to say hello.

"BELLA!" Angela hollered when she spotted her in the doorway. "What a great surprise!" She loped over, long chestnut-brown ponytail bouncing as she moved in for a hug. "Article done?"

"Yep. It's disturbing how much I know about the oak trees of Warwickshire now!"

"Great! Let's go to breakfast."

"Um..." Bella blushed, not wanting to admit she had no money with her. She also didn't want Angela to treat her.

"I have a voucher for Rosalind's that needs using. Do you mind if we go there?" Angela interrupted before Bella could protest. Angela hated that Bella lived on the breadline but was too stubborn to accept gifts or treats from her when she made a healthy living from the gallery and Ben, Angela's husband, made good money as an accountant.

"A gift voucher?"

"From a satisfied customer. Come on, surely you're not going to turn down Rosalind's? Best Eggs Benny in the world!"

"I don't eat meat, remember..."

"Eggs Florentine then!" Bella's mouth started to water. She hadn't eaten since having three spoons of mashed potato and a forkful of peas whilst feeding Gemma and George the previous evening.

"OK, fine!"

Fifteen minutes later they were sat in Rosalind's with coffee, awaiting their breakfasts. Bella filled Angela in about the sale of Riverview Place and Charlie's new job.

"Oh Bella, how are you coping with the news?"

"I'm gutted of course, but we couldn't hold onto it any longer. Dad's lived with this shadow hanging over him for nearly seven years. I just always imagined it being part of my life, you know. I thought that I'd travel and see the world, but that I'd always be able to return. But I've not lived there for years and neither has Charlie. Time to let go and let him enjoy his later life without debt or burden."

"Do you know anything about the people who are buying it?"

"Not much. They're doctors who've worked abroad for years apparently, but have decided to come back and work in the area. The agent said that they loved the original features and the garden, so I'm hoping that they won't wreck the place or turn it into some modern monstrosity."

"When is the sale due for completion?"

"They're paying cash and are starting work at the beginning of February, so probably the last Friday of this month."

"That's in two-and-a-half weeks! Really quick!"

Bella nodded sadly.

"Oh, Bella, I'm sorry." Angela replied, reaching over to squeeze her best friend's hand. "Look, what are you doing tonight? Fancy coming round for dinner and Scrabble? Ben and I will let you beat us...?"

Bella smiled. She always beat them. She was a Scrabble aficionado of the highest order.

"I'd love to but I'm working at The Stag. Harry's let me have the past three nights off to finish the article, but tonight's Darts Night and it'll be heaving."

"OK, well what about Sunday?"

"Mmm...maybe..."

Bella could see what Angela was trying to do- get her out of the house and enjoying life a bit more, and she appreciated it, but fundamentally, Bella did not feel whole. She hadn't done so since Edward left. And what was the point of trying to live life to the full, when half of your heart was missing?

-cc-

Edward rolled over in bed and his arm made contact with warm skin. Not his own. He looked up to see a halo of strawberry blonde curls on the pillow, their sleeping owner curled up on her side, naked under his expensive Hugo Boss bed linen. He groaned internally. _Shit. Tanya. _

He crept out of bed, threw on a pair of boxers and a t-shirt and headed to the kitchen to deal with the monumental hangover he knew was about hit him. He swallowed two ibuprofen tablets and a vitamin pill with a can of Coke before downing a pint of water, and then set about making toast with butter and honey. Once he'd got some sugar into his system, he cursed himself for going home with his ex-girlfriend and tried to remember how exactly it happened.

He had been working late the night before, doing the final cuts of Riley-B's album and afterwards had gone for a drink at his club, The Hospital Club in Covent Garden. He'd been reluctant to join at first, thinking it rather pretentious, but Alice had insisted that they needed a place to hob-nob and mingle, and sometimes they would need to meet clients out of the office, but away from the curious eyes of the public and the prying of paparazzi. As usual Alice was right.

He recollected that Tanya, a former fashion model who now did bits of acting and presenting, had come in on the arm of some Spanish footballer who had quickly got drunk with his teammates, leaving her alone. She had spotted him in the corner and come by to say hello. He and Tanya had split a couple of years earlier after two years of on-and-off dating. Edward couldn't find it in himself to commit to her or any girl he dated, although he had always been monogamous and faithful. Tanya on the other hand wanted emotional fidelity but not physical fidelity. She liked a variety of sexual partners, as well as a committed relationship. Edward had been deeply uncomfortable with that, just as Tanya had been upset that he would not let her leave things at his apartment or talk about the future or moving in or marriage. Still, they'd managed to stay friendly since their split.

"Hi."

Edward looked up from his tea at Tanya's voice. She was wearing her black dress from the night before with the throw blanket from Edward's bed wrapped around her shoulders.

"Morning. Tea? Coffee?"

"Got any hair of the dog, dahling?" She asked, her voice raspy with sleep, booze and her faint Russian accent.

"Just beer." Tanya wrinkled her nose. She only drank spirits, vodka mainly.

"Coffee then." She told him. He got up and turned on his very expensive Italian espresso machine. There was a slightly awkward silence for a minute.

"Tanya..."

"Edward, relax. Consider this Bonus Night or sahmthing. I wanted to fuck. You needed a fuck and got drunk enough to do it. I don't want you back. Paolo loves me. He likes open relationship. Now, let me talk to my PA so I can get myself out of here before anyone realises I spent the night."

Twenty minutes later, Tanya's PA and driver arrived and she left. Edward texted his own assistant Mike to tell him that he was taking the morning off and crawled back into bed, feeling tired and drained. Edward was fairly self-aware. He knew that he was scared to get close to a girl again after Bella. He knew that he only dated blondes because brunettes reminded him of her. But he was lonely. He also desperately wanted the secure, loving relationship that Alice and Jasper, and Esme and Carlisle shared.

His mobile rang just as he was about to close his eyes and get more sleep.

"Hello?"

_"Edward?"_

"Sis! Hey!"

_"I'm not disturbing you, am I? Your voice sounds strained." _

"No, I just had a late night last night. What's up?"

_"Carlisle and I bought a house! And it's gorgeous!"_

"Oh, that's great!"

_"We decided against buying in the city in the end. Carlisle's only working there three days a week, and is working in Warwick the rest of the time. And I'm working in South East Birmingham so we decided to live somewhere more picturesque, a little further out. We won't have more than an hour's commute."_

"Where?"

_"Stratford-upon-Avon. It's so beautiful. The people are friendly and..."_

"Stratford?" Edward cried. "Wh-why? I mean, uh, what about all the tourists?"

_"The house is a little way out of town, off the tourist trail. It's right on the river though. The garden leads straight onto the water. It's this huge Edwardian pile. Plenty of room for visitors and, um, kids..."_

"Esme? Are you...?"

_"Not yet. But it is the plan, of course."_

"Of course. The house sounds gorgeous." Edward felt his gut twist as he recollected a house with a similar description. "When do you move in?"

_"The last weekend in January, provided the sale goes through on time. We don't foresee any problems. We're paying cash and the owner's keen for a quick sale."_

"I'm sorry I won't be able to come help you move. I'll be in Stockholm then."

_"So I gathered from your assistant. Working with the latest hot Euro-dance sensation?"_

"Yeah... so anyway, what's your new address?"

_"It's called Riverview Place, it's on Luddington Road..."_

"Riverview Place?!" Edward exclaimed, the name of the house searing as he realised that his sister had just bought the house that held such painful memories for him.

_"Yes. Isn't it cool? The house has no number, just a name..."_

"I, um..." Edward decided not to tell his sister about his association with the house. "...yeah, really great."

They spoke for a few more minutes before Esme had to go. When they hung up, Edward's head was throbbing and he felt sick at the realisation that every time he visited his sister and Carlisle, he would be reminded of the girl he'd spent twelve years trying-and failing- to forget.

-cc-

After their late breakfast, Angela returned to her gallery and Bella started to walk back home. But somehow, she found herself wondering along the river, walking out of town and towards Riverview Place. The riverside path meandered away from the water a hundred yards before the house and went all around the small group of houses on the river, of which Riverview Place was the largest, before coming back to the water's edge.

Bella stood outside the front door for ages, debating whether to go inside. She had hardly been there since moving out several years earlier, avoiding it because of all the painful memories, but now she found herself drawn to it, now that she knew that in just a few weeks she would never be able to see inside it again.

Finally, she put her key into the lock and went inside. She walked through the long hallway and into the large open kitchen dining area with a wraparound conservatory that overlooked the water. Most of the furniture in the house had been sold but the conservatory sofa was still there and Bella decided to sit down and watch the river for a while. A couple of squirrels scampered across the shrubs. A narrow-boat passed by, shuffling along slowly. A lone rower in a canoe also sailed along, braving the cold.

As she watched, she allowed herself a wallow and some tears. She cried for the hardships brought onto her family, for the loss of the house, for her sister's shattered dreams, and of her own. Mostly, she cried, yet again, for the love she lost, for Edward. Eventually she cried herself into exhaustion and fell asleep.

Bella woke up from a dreamless sleep around an hour later, and her first thought was that she was a lot warmer than she would have anticipated, given that she had fallen asleep in the conservatory of a house that was vacant. She glanced down to see that someone had placed a coat over her, an expensive new Crombie camel cashmere coat that most definitely did not belong to her. Bella got up and stepped back into the hallway, where she heard voices upstairs. She followed them to the room which had once been her parents' bedroom.

"...that's excellent. It'll take a Super King Size bed." Bella heard a female voice with a soft Yorkshire accent say along with the snap of a tape measure. "We should order it today so it arrives in time."

"Whatever you think is best, dear." A crisp, low, male voice agreed. He soundedvery handsome, if that was possible.

"Oh, honey, it's just so... it's my dream house! Everything's coming together!"

"I know." There was the sound of clothes rustling. Bella assumed that they were hugging or kissing. "We'd better hurry up here. The agent will be back soon..."

Bella chose that moment to walk into the bedroom tentatively.

"Err... hi."

The couple turned towards her. She was a very pretty, very friendly looking woman in her late thirties, slim, with golden-brown shoulder-length wavy hair and piercing green eyes, dressed in a brown turtle-neck jumper, camel cord knee-length skirt and brown, flat knee-high boots. He was also in his late thirties, tall, classically handsome with cropped blond hair, dressed in an immaculate grey suit. Bella instantly felt like she knew them, even though she'd never seen them before.

"Oh, hello! You're up!" The woman exclaimed, walking over.

"Yes. Thank you for this." Bella gestured to the coat before handing it over. "I'm Isabella Swan. My father's the vendor. I'm so sorry. I just came by for, um..."

"Of course. It's still your house until the sale goes through, and I can see that you'd want to say goodbye." The woman replied kindly. Bella nodded in agreement. "The agent let us come in to do some measuring. I'm Esme, by the way. Esme Cullen. And this is my husband, Carlisle."

Bella looked between them for a moment before taking a deep breath. _Esme and Carlisle Cullen? Edward's sister and brother-in-law? Oh holy crap!_

"Nice to meet you Isabella." Carlisle stepped forward and offered her a hand which Bella shook automatically.

"You too. Um, I understand that work's brought you into the area?" She asked.

"Yes. We spent nearly a decade working for _Medecins Sans Frontieres_, and then ended up settling in Australia for a while, but Carlisle was offered a job as a trauma surgeon at the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine in Birmingham and at Warwick Hospital, so we decided to move back to England. I've got a job as a community paediatrician in South and East Birmingham."

"Well, your experience in developing countries will come in handy there." Bella observed. "I understand that South and East Birmingham has a very large population from Sub Saharan Africa and the Indian sub-continent."

"That's right. But we decided we wanted to live somewhere prettier, more rural. My younger brothers lived in this area for a while several years ago and I remember how lovely it sounded. Their descriptions don't do Warwickshire justice, though."

Bella almost mentioned that she had known them but something made her hold her tongue.

"Are they still in the area?" She asked, trying to keep her voice even. She knew that Edward wasn't, of course. She knew he was London-based and frequently jet-setting. Sometimes she would Google him. It had nearly killed her when he was going out with Tanya Denali, the model/actress/socialite, and his picture was in the tabloids all the time.

"No. They're both in London. One's a lawyer and the other works in the music industry."

"Oh."

The sound of the agent coming in through the front door interrupted their conversation.

"I'll leave you to it." Bella told them. "It was lovely to meet you both and if you've got any questions at all, please don't hesitate to get in contact with me or my father through the estate agent."

"That's very kind of you, Isabella." Carlisle said.

Bella shook both their hands and walked out of the house into the cold afternoon. She checked her watch and realised that she had to hurry to go pick up the twins on time.

Carlisle and Esme watched from the landing window as Bella walked up the driveway and onto the path.

"What a nice girl. Friendly and down-to-earth." Esme commented. "Very pretty as well."

"Hmm. Yes. She clearly adores this house. It must be hard for her letting go of her childhood home."

"Completely. It was written all over her face. I hope she trusts that we'll care for it."

"I think so. I don't think she'd have engaged in a conversation otherwise. She strikes me as a shy one."

Carlisle thought about the beautiful brunette girl they'd just encountered. She was clearly heartbroken, over more than just the house. He remembered the agent alluding to the fact that Charles Swan had financial problems and had gone through a painful divorce. There was something else though that pricked at the back of Carlisle's mind. It was the way Isabella's eyes had widened and darted between him and his wife when they told her they were Esme and Carlisle Cullen.

_She recognised our names._

-cc-

Edward woke up to a sharp, repeated prodding in his ribs. He opened one eye to see Alice gleefully poking his side with one perfectly manicured finger.

"Wakey wakey sunshine!"

"No."

"Come on. It's, like, half past four. You look like shit. You stink of booze. You've wasted the day in bed and poor Mike's fielded six calls from Nicki Minaj's people already this afternoon."

"Shit. I was supposed to call them." Edward sat up. He glanced over to the door of his bedroom where Mike, his baby-faced pudgy blond PA, was hovering, looking stressed.

"Go to the bathroom and sort yourself out. Jasper's meeting us at Banca Mayfair in an hour."

"What?"

"We're meeting Randall Barnes for cocktails?" Edward looked at her blankly. "The lyricist? To work on tracks to put forward for Nahuel's album?" She reminded him. Nahuel was a hot new Latin American pop sensation who had become famous by putting videos of himself singing a Spanish version of Smokey Robinson's _Tracks of my Tears_ on YouTube, and was looking to put out an English language album.

"Shit, yeah. I forgot that was today."

"OK, what's with you? Even with your worst hangover you wouldn't normally forget something like that."

"Nothing."

"Bullshit."

"I just drank too much last night, that's all."

"And took Tanya Denali home." Alice retorted.

"What? How do you know that?"

"Edward, you should know by now..." she poked him in the ribs again. "I." Poke. "Know." Poke. "Everything. Now get your ass out of bed."

An hour later Alice, Edward and Mike walked into Banca Mayfair, an Italian bar and restaurant in Mayfair, surprisingly enough, where Jasper had commandeered a table and had ordered a Bellini for Alice, a Peroni for Edward, a diet Coke for Mike (who didn't drink alcohol at work) and sparkling water for himself. He was very proud of achieving nearly ten years of sobriety and didn't let it interfere with his work or social life, much of which was done in bars, clubs and restaurants.

"Hey Jasper. Where's this Randall guy?" Edward asked.

"No idea. Mike has he rung?"

"No. I've not heard from him since we confirmed on Monday."

"Well, while we're waiting, I'd like to run an idea past you." Alice said. "About our expansion plan." She turned to Mike. "Sweetie, do you think you could let us have a private discussion? Perhaps go over to the snack buffet? Have what you want and put it on our tab."

"Sure. I'll also see if I can find out where Mr Barnes has got to."

"Thank you."

Mike made himself scarce.

"You've got a good assistant there. He'd be even better if he wasn't scared of his own shadow."

"Yeah. He's doing well. So what's your idea?"

"Let's get out of London." She said simply.

"Sorry?" Edward wasn't sure if he heard right. "Leave London?"

"When we were getting started, we had to be in London. Centre of the action. But now, we've got a solid reputation as an independent urban, dance and edgy pop label. Our production division, i.e. _you_, is constantly in demand because of the quality of your work. We're turning over a decent profit. We need to own our reputation. If we went out of London, even just a couple of hours' drive, we could find an amazing place with lots of space and still have great artists working with us."

"That's all very well, but what about networking and meetings in places like this? We can't do that if our premises are in the middle of nowhere."

"Edward, I'm not talking about relocating. I'm talking about acquiring a second place, which you could design to your specifications. We would still do all our networking in London, and keep our property in Soho, but we would move most of our production out of London, and our administration too, which would cut costs. Edward, you could design your dream studios."

"Financially, it's a fantastic compromise, but it means nothing if you don't like the idea." Jasper added. "I'm going to put together a revised business plan so I'll have some more concrete numbers and a potential time frame to show you."

"Alice, honestly, do you think that expanding out of London is the way forward?"

"I do."

"OK, let me look at the new business plan and have a think about it."

Edward's phone started ringing then.

_Emmett. _

"Hey Em, what's up?"

_"Edward, you are talking to the youngest ever Sector Crown Prosecutor in the history of the service!"_

"What? Em, what are you talking about?"

_"I got asked to apply for the position of Sector Crown Prosecutor for Warwickshire and East Birmingham last week. It came up, all of a sudden! The guy that was in the job got promoted to Chief Crown Prosecutor and they actively headhunted me! The interviews were on Monday and Tuesday. Well, I just heard that they're giving me the job! Me! At the age of thirty-three!"_

"Em, you're moving to Birmingham?" _Fate is sure mind-fucking me right now. First Esme and Carlisle, now Emmett too?_

_"Yeah! Well, I'll spend more time in Warwickshire than Birmingham. I move at the beginning of next month. It's all happened so fast, but I'm so excited!"_

"I can tell."

_I'd never get this opportunity in London and I feel like I'll really be able to make a difference. Plus, Esme and Carlisle will be nearby!"_

"Why so quick?"

_"The outgoing Chief Crown Prosecutor's leaving for a job in defence. Not sure why it's happened now."_

"Hang on a sec, Em." He glanced at Alice and Jasper who were listening with interest. He wanted to ask Emmett something and, as close as he was to them, he didn't want them to hear. "I'm just going to step out for a minute."

He got out of the bar and onto the street.

_"Where are you anyway?"_ Emmett asked when he heard Edward stop moving.

"A drinks meeting in Mayfair. Listen Em, do you know the name of the outgoing Chief Crown Prosecutor?"

_"Yeah. His name's Charles Swan. Why do you ask?"_

"Does the name 'Swan' ring any bells?"

_"No, should it?"_ Edward wasn't that surprised. Why should Emmett remember Bella's surname? It had been eleven and a half years since he'd seen her.

"Charles Swan is um, B-Bella's father. And the house that Esme and Carlisle are buying? Bella's childhood home."

_"Shit. Talk about coincidence. Does Esme know?"_

"No. I haven't said anything. And I'd be grateful if you didn't. I really don't want to talk about it, or even think about it."

Emmett paused for a moment before speaking to allow his younger brother to compose himself. Edward very rarely mentioned Bella and when he did, he always flinched.

_"Of course not, kid. Besides, I bet Bella's long gone."_

"Yeah. Anyway, congratulations Em. You deserve it. Nobody loves the law more than you do."

_"Thanks. I want to show them that they made the right decision choosing me over the fifty other lawyers they could have hired with ten years more experience than me."_

"I'd better go."

"OK. You free soon for a BBB night?" Emmett asked, referring to one of their little traditions- Brothers, Burgers and Beer, although, in Edward's case, it was a veggie burger.

"I'd love it. Monday?"

"I'm there. See you then!"

Edward headed back into the bar where he found Alice and Jasper looking at something on Alice's iPad. Mike had returned to the table as well, with a new round of drinks. There was still no sign of Randall Barnes.

"What are you two so fascinated by?"

"Edward, your brother's moving to Birmingham?" Jasper asked.

"Yeah... so?"

"And your sister and brother-in-law have just bought a property in Stratford-upon-Avon?"

"Yeah...?"

"Well, we've just looked the area up on the internet and it looks like the perfect place to start the search for new premises. It's easy to get to from London and the property prices are amazingly cheap in comparison. Plus, Stratford-upon-Avon's abso-fucking-lutely beautiful." Alice said excitedly, blue eyes twinkling with delight.

"I don't know... there are so many areas within two hours of London that you could start..."

"No, Edward. I can feel it in my bones. This is the place. You can reserve your judgement until you see a modified business plan if you want, but I know that this is the next step for AJE Records."

-cc-

* * *

**Thank you for reading! **

**CC xxx**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Hello everyone! Thank you for all your reviews, and for adding me to favourites/alerts. **

**I've been quite nervous today about this update. It is a flashback chapter, and the one where you find out how Edward and Bella broke up. **

**It's around 7000 words, which is long for me, and seeing as I was in tears when I wrote parts of it (although that could be hormones, lol!) perhaps I should issue a tissue warning! So, get comfy and let me know what you think afterwards, please! **

**After this chapter, it will still be a few chapters before Bella and Edward meet again; with subplots and flashbacks, this story is a marathon, not a sprint, definitely a slow-burn. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**Without further ado...**

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Six**

August 2000

"Bella, love, I shouldn't be here..." Edward said nervously as he stepped into the hallway of Riverview Place. "What if your family come back?"

"Dad's at work until at least six. Mum is on a golfing mini-break with her friends until Sunday and Rosalie practically lives at her fiancé's house. Besides, I'm allowed to have friends over."

"I don't think your folks would be too thrilled to have a dirtbag like me in their frankly fucking palatial house." Edward replied, following Bella to the huge kitchen at the back of the house, whilst trying to take in the beautiful building. "Especially if they find out what I intend to do to you later..." he added huskily, gathering her in his arms.

"You're not a dirtbag. And yes, it's a great house, but don't for one second get a complex about it. I love your place too." She lifted her face, rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him softly.

"I love you so much." He murmured. "So... you ready to open these?" He took the two envelopes in her hand. Bella shrugged.

"Somehow, the exam results don't seem so important anymore. Durham's admissions office told me, when I phoned to defer my place for a year, that I just had to pass to get onto their English course. And I've definitely passed, judging by Mrs Cope's grin this morning when we collected them."

"Our tickets arrived today. Two weeks, love, and we'll be starting our adventure."

"I can't wait." Bella glanced out of the window. It was a warm, sunny day and she wanted to take advantage, in order to fully absorb Riverview Place before she left. "Let's head outside."

"OK." She grabbed two cans of Sprite and they went out of the conservatory door into the garden, and went to sit on a bench a couple of feet from the water's edge. Bella leaned into him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.

"Mmm... I'm so glad we managed to get a whole day off together."

"Yeah, you've been working so hard, love." Bella had managed to get a summer job in the Press Office of the University of Warwick after a tip-off from Emmett, but had also picked up a few shifts at a Stratford pub, The Stag. She was determined to make as much money as possible for their trip. They were intending to leave at the beginning of September, a week before Bella's nineteenth birthday, a few days after Bella's job with the university ended. Emmett knew about their plans and was supportive, but Bella had made the decision not to tell her family until after she'd left, by letter.

"Worth it. The bank balance is looking really healthy."

"We should take a photo. This is the first time I've spent any length of time at Riverview Place and it may well be the last." Edward fished a disposable camera out of his pocket.

"Why are you carrying one of those around?"

"Emmett thought it would be a good idea to take some photos at the gig I played the other night, when I played two sets at that club in Birmingham? I thought I'd finish it off before getting it developed."

"Sorry I wasn't there, _mon ange_."

Edward kissed the top of her head.

"You were there in spirit. You're my inspiration, love."

"Just like you're mine." Bella thought of the reams of poetry she'd written since meeting him, and the short stories. When she was writing something boring for the university Press Office, he was her motivation.

Edward held her close and then held one arm out with the camera in it, and clicked, hoping that he didn't cut off their heads. He then pressed her lips to her cheek and clicked again when he felt her smile.

"One left." He told her.

Bella was feeling cheeky, so she wriggled out from his side, turned around and straddled his lap. She pressed her forehead to his.

"Take the shot, Edward." She breathed, bouncing slightly. Edward felt her movement deep inside him, making him painfully hard.

_Click._

"Bella, love, how do you feel about showing me the rest of your house? Maybe we could end the tour at your bedroom?"

"Great idea." She grinned.

Bella did as he asked, pointing out everything from the downstairs cloakroom and W.C. to Charlie's gym and den, before heading upstairs, where she showed him the other bedrooms briefly before arriving in front of her own.

"So, yeah, um, this is my room..." She said nervously. Edward let go of her hand momentarily to look around. The room was mostly tidy, although it wasn't Bella's natural state. The walls were painted a light duck egg blue with a white dado rail and skirting board. The double bed was covered with white sheets decorated with small blue flowers. A wide desk was pushed against the window, which overlooked the river. The desk was heaving with papers and books and a computer, as were two huge bookshelves that ran along one wall. Along another were fitted wardrobes with sliding doors.

"It's great. Very you, love." Edward gravitated towards the CD player and small pile of CDs on her bedside table. Bella hovered just inside the room, watching him move around her room. "What are you listening to?" He pressed 'Play'. His own musical composition burst through the speakers, the first one he'd ever given her, nearly eleven months earlier. He looked through the other CDs in the pile. "They're all my music." He said, turning around to look at her.

"I hardly listen to anything else these days. Late at night, when I'm missing you, they soothe me. You put so much of yourself into your music, listening to it makes me feel like you're with me." She replied, biting her lip. "And I never, ever want to be without you. I love you Edward. _Mon ange_."

In a flash, Edward was in front of her, picking her up, pressing her against the wardrobe as he surrounded her soft pink lips with his, teasing her mouth open with his tongue.

"Mine." He panted. "My Bella. Forever."

"_T__oujours. _Forever. Forever yours." She agreed. His lips drifted to her neck and she arched it to give him better access, knocking her head against the wardrobe.

"Let me carry you somewhere more comfy, love." Bella leaned forward and wrapped her arms around his neck so that his face was pressed into her chest. As he stumbled over to the bed whilst holding her, he couldn't help but lick and nip at the skin he could reach. When they arrived there, he slowly lowered her down to the mattress and didn't break contact with her hooded, love and lust-filled big brown eyes as he unbuttoned her sleeveless white _broderie anglaise_ lace and cotton shirt to reveal her delicate white bra underneath.

"This OK?" He asked, like he always did. Bella smiled. She intended to turn him down never.

"Yes. I love the ways you touch me." She replied. "And kiss me."

"Yeah? Where would you like me to start?" He asked, stroking her tummy.

"By losing your clothes."

"That can be arranged..." He pulled off his black t-shirt, kicked off his scruffy black Converse and pulled off his khaki cargo shorts. While he did so, Bella wriggled out of her jeans.

"Much better." She murmured as he lay next to her in just a pair of black boxer briefs. She placed her hand on his hip and manoeuvred herself down the bed so that she was up close and personal with the bulge in his groin. She took a deep breath, involuntarily licking her lips as she decided what she wanted to do next.

"Bella... are you going to give me a ..." he whispered it, "...a b-blow job?" They had never tried oral before, sticking to exploring with hands, and then having sex.

"I want to try."

"Then I want to try too."

"You want to give yourself a blow job?" She giggled, causing him to laugh as well. He carded his hands into her thick dark brown tresses.

"Good one! You know what I meant, silly Bella." He tilted her face up. "I want to taste you. Properly. If you taste even half as good as you smell... then, wow!"

"OK, so how... same time or one after the other?"

Edward thought about it for a moment.

"I don't think I could concentrate or relax if we did it at the same time, at least not yet."

"OK, well, since I'm in position, I'll go first. Lie back, Edward, and tell me if I'm doing it right."

"OK."

Bella rolled down his boxers with bated breath, to reveal his hard cock. She had never seen any other, but she couldn't imagine that any other man's would be so enticing or attractive. She had no idea if it was big or small or thick or thin compared to other men's ones, but it satisfied her so exquisitely.

Bella glanced up at Edward, whose green eyes were fixed on her intently. Slowly, she kissed his glistening tip and then took it into her mouth, tentatively sweeping her tongue over and around it. Edward couldn't believe how good it felt, second only to being inside her, and his head fell back against the pillows.

"R-really good, love." He mumbled.

Emboldened by his praise, she took him further into her mouth, until he hit the back of her throat, causing her to gag just a little, so she backed him up a millimetre or two. She swallowed the drops of liquid that had leaked from his tip but didn't take him any further for fear of gagging more. Edward didn't seem to mind. Bella started moving him in and out of her mouth and Edward fisted the sheets because it felt so good.

"Fucking amazing, please don't stop!"

Bella didn't intend to. The sounds of Edward's grunts of pleasure were turning her on immensely. In fact, she didn't think she'd ever been as wet as she was at that moment.

"Bella, Bella, Bella, Bella... really... close... might come in your mouth if..."

Bella made a split-second decision. She didn't want to gag but she did want to taste him, so she held just his tip in his mouth and sucked it, looking up to see whether she would be able to judge the moment he was about to erupt. She could. Just as he let go, she opened her mouth and he came on her tongue, a few stray drops hitting her chin. She waited for Edward to open his eyes and see her before swallowing what had landed in her mouth.

When he did, he was almost speechless. The sight of Bella swallowing his cum and then sticking her tongue out to clean up the stray drops was the sexiest sight perhaps ever. He would get turned on thinking about it for years to come. Despite his monumental release just moments earlier, Edward could feel his groin stirring once again.

"Come here, love. Please." He asked, holding his arms open. Bella climbed into them and curled her arms around his neck.

"It sounded like you enjoyed that."

"I did, Bella, love. So much. Did you? I mean, what was it like for you?"

"I loved it. It made me feel so sexy, kinda powerful."

"What did it taste like? Was it awful?"

"No. I mean, it's not ambrosia but it wasn't disgusting. It tasted salty, a tiny bit sour and a tiny bit sweet, but I couldn't compare it to any food I've ever eaten."

"Thank you, love." He kissed her gently. "Now, are you ready for yours?"

"Only if you're sure... don't feel you have to because I did."

"I want to. Really want to."

"I should warn you..." she leaned up to whisper in his ear boldly, "...I am really wet right now. I meant it when I said that blowing you made me feel sexy."

"Fuck..." Edward flipped her over onto her back. "I can't wait!"

He scooted his arms around her back and undid her bra so he could look and feel and taste her beautiful, creamy breasts, which he did for a couple of minutes before stroking his hands down her sides and his fingers under the elastic of her white lace bikini briefs.

As he peeled them away, he was hit by the scent of her arousal, making him fully hard all over again. He used a finger to stroke her, causing Bella to release an involuntary moan. He circled her clit and then slid two fingers into her. Pumping in and out slowly, he dipped his head and gently circled her clit with his tongue, like he'd done with his fingers a minute before.

Bella was surprised at how different Edward's tongue felt against her clit compared to a finger; it felt so good. Soon, Edward was licking her up and down, and she was writhing around so much that he had to hold her hip steady. She watched his bronze head bobbing up and down. She couldn't remember seeing before a sight that turned her on so much.

"God, Edward... I'm gonna... it's so amazing... unngh..." Bella's speech deteriorated to mumbles as she felt herself on the edge of a colossal climax. Edward brought his mouth over her sensitive nub ad sucked gently, finishing her off. "FUCK! FUCK!" She exclaimed as she toppled over, tugging at his hair.

Edward looked up to see Bella covered in an appealing blush from head to toe, panting softly. He sat up beside her with crossed legs, still licking his lips to savour her sweet taste, and gently stroked her tummy. After a moment, he felt her hand cover his. Bella sat up too and clambered into his lap.

"That was so hot, love. So fucking amazing!" Edward told her as she curled her lithe form around him and tucked her head into the crook of his neck.

"Yeah? I didn't taste gross?"

"No! Delicious. I'm going to do that again next time."

"Just like I'm going to do it to you." She placed small kisses along his neck up to his jaw and then found his mouth. As she wriggled in his lap he groaned slightly, hard again.

"Sorry, I just..."

"Can you slip in me like this?" Bella asked softly. "I know it's different to how we usually do it but..."

"I'd like to try." Edward lifted Bella's hips and quickly found her entrance with his cock. She was still delightfully wet. He pushed inside and they both cried softly. Edward held her tight against him in his lap and made small thrusting and rolling movements, whilst Bella ground down onto him. It felt extremely intimate to both of them, skin to skin, her breasts pressed against him, his arms tight around her, her legs wrapped around him, their mouths locked passionately.

Edward could feel his orgasm getting closer and wanted to see if he could get her to come with him inside her, something that had eluded them so far. He snuck his hand between their bodies, which were slick with sweat, and gently pressed her clit. Bella opened her eyes in surprise but quickly relaxed, enjoying the dual sensation of Edward inside her and his hand on her sensitive spot. She felt her hips buck at the stimulation and her moans got louder.

"I love you Bella. I'm so in love with you. I never thought it was possible to love someone this much." He whispered.

"Me too! Me too! I love you Edward! I LOVE YOU!" She exclaimed as her orgasm hit once again, all the more intense for being filled by him.

"Oh, wow! Fuck! YEAH!" Edward followed her with his own climax and when they recovered enough, they both burst into fits of delighted laughter, clinging onto each other's damp bodies, unable to believe just how good their lovemaking had become.

-cc-

Rosalie Swan was utterly pissed off. Her fiancé Royce had decided to have his friends over for a poker night, when she'd planned a romantic meal. Angry, she returned home to Riverview Place. She noted, as she pulled her Spider into the garage to the side of the property, that the Ford Fiesta Bella drove was parked there too, so she guessed her little sister was in.

Rosalie was three and a half years older than Bella, and had just graduated with a degree in Philosophy from the University of Warwick. Whilst in her final year of school, she had met Royce King, whose family ran a well- regarded personal financial services company in the area. Royce, four years her senior, already working as a vice-president of the family business, was exactly the kind of man she wanted to marry. Rosalie wanted nothing more than to be a wife and mother, and Royce seemed like perfect husband material. She knew her limitations. Rosalie was beautiful, of that she was sure, but Bella was the clever one, the one who was going to be a career girl, not her.

Rosalie had, at times, been envious of her younger sister's seemingly effortless academic ability. Bella had been able to debate aspects of criminal cases in the news with their father Charlie from the age of seven, was reading Shakespeare, Hardy and James Joyce by the age of ten and spoke fluent French by the age of fourteen. Her talent in writing was astounding.

However, Rosalie knew that she had the looks which society deemed attractive and beautiful, and a self-confidence that Bella had never been able to find within herself. She had come to accept that she and Bella had different talents and therefore, different paths in life. Their differences did mean that the sisters often had trouble relating to each other. Bella was very shy and guarded. Rosalie sometimes felt frustrated that her sister never shared her feelings or true opinions, that there was a part of Bella that nobody knew. Sometimes, Rosalie thought that the only way Bella could express herself fully was with paper and pen.

Rosalie walked into the house through the back door. The kitchen was immaculate as usual, except for two empty cans of Sprite and a small pile of post sitting on the counter. Rosalie put them in the rubbish bin and made herself some tea before picking out her copy of Brides magazine from the post and going into the living room. She was comfortably flicking through the magazine, tabbing pages of interest, when she heard footsteps coming down the stairs and voices in the hallway.

"... going to be a late finish, so I'll call you tomorrow, OK?" A male voice with a Yorkshire accent said. It sounded low and rather attractive.

"No problem." Rosalie heard Bella reply. "Lunchtime's probably best."

"You got it, love." The guy said. "And congratulations. You deserve those grades."

There was a minute of quiet and the sound of slight deep breathing and a soft moan. Rosalie was intrigued. Could her shy little sister have a boyfriend? She could hear indistinct whispering but couldn't make out what was being said. A moment later, the front door opened and closed. Rosalie looked out of the window to see the back of a tall, lanky young guy, dressed in scruffy khaki shorts, battered Converse and a black t-shirt, with a few auburn tufts sticking out from under a black baseball cap, walking up the driveway and onto the main road. From what she could see, the guy was pretty handsome.

Once he'd disappeared, Rosalie went into the kitchen.

"Hi Bellsie!" Bella dropped the post she was sorting through.

"Rose! Hey! Err... I thought you were spending the weekend with Royce!"

"Evidently. He's playing poker tonight with his mates. I decided not to stick around."

"Right... um, want tea?"

"I'm good." Bella nodded, her cheeks burning, and flicked the kettle on. "Say, Bella?" Bella turned back to face her sister.

"Yeah?"

"Who's the guy I saw just leaving the house?"

"Oh, um, that's err... Edward."

"Edward? I don't remember you ever mentioning a guy called 'Edward' before."

Bella shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant.

"He's a friend from school. He was in my Media Studies class."

"How come he's got a Northern accent?"

"He moved down from Leeds last year."

"What was he doing here?"

"Just visiting. I met him at school this morning when I picked up my exam results and he mentioned that he'd never seen Stratford before, so I invited him, showed him round the town." Bella lied. She was sure Rosalie knew it, for Bella could never lie well, so she tried distraction. "Thank you for asking about my results by the way." She added sarcastically.

"Shit. Sorry, Bellsie! How did you do?"

"I got As in French, English, Media Studies and Politics, with an award for English."

"Well done!" Rosalie hugged her sister. "What are we doing to celebrate?"

Bella felt an inward spark of relief that she'd managed to distract her sister. However, Rosalie wasn't about to forget about something as interesting as a boy in her timid sister's life.

-cc-

* * *

September 2000

Rosalie's curiosity had been well and truly piqued. She could tell from the way Bella spoke about the mysterious Edward that he was far more than just a friend from her Media Studies class. She was pretty sure that her sister was crazy about the guy from her reactions- her blush had been huge even just saying his name. She suspected that Bella was keeping quiet about him because he was probably not what their parents would consider suitable boyfriend material, and because she didn't want to share the flush of first love.

Over the next ten days or so, Rosalie observed her sister and tried to listen in on her conversations. However, she wasn't really able to pick up much. She'd asked a few more questions about Edward, and had managed to ascertain that he was a musician, but that was about it. Bella was giving nothing away apart from a blush.

Nearly two weeks after the day Bella's of exam results, Rosalie found herself at Riverview Place alone. Charlie was at work, Renee was having her hair done and Bella wasn't expected back home until later in the evening as she was going out for dinner with the work colleagues from the university Press Office she was leaving that week, as her summer placement there had come to an end.

Rosalie, still intrigued by her sister's 'friend' Edward, wandered into Bella's room. It seemed tidier than usual. The papers and books that usually littered her desk were absent. Clothes that would normally be present in piles on the armchair in the corner or on the floor were gone. In short, Rosalie thought the room looked like Bella was already at university.

She opened Bella's clothing wardrobe. Bella was most definitely not a clothes hoarder, but there did seem to be fewer clothes in the wardrobe than normal. Rosalie started to shut the door again when she spotted a white shoebox tied with a blue ribbon peeking out from under a pile of bed linens. She pulled it out and opened it. At first it looked like it was filled with rubbish, but then she spotted the corner of a photograph. It was Bella wearing a Santa hat, smiling into the camera, being carried piggy back by Edward, also wearing a Santa hat. Underneath was another photo of the two of them sleeping on a sofa in what looked like a very messy students' apartment, with books all over the floor. Bella was lying on top of Edward, his lips against her temple, her dark hair spilling over his chest, their hands linked. Rosalie turned the photo over. It said, 'Edward and Bella studying too hard, June 2000'.

Rosalie sat down on Bella's bed and sifted through the rest of the box. There were more photos of Edward and Bella, concert tickets, movie tickets, a flyer for a club in Leamington Spa, and a pretty but cheap charm bracelet. _So he is her boyfriend. And by the looks of it, this has been going on since well before Christmas. _Rosalie put everything back and tied the ribbon on the box.

As she stood up however, her foot touched something under Bella's bed. Rosalie reached underneath and pulled out a large traveller's backpack, full to bursting. Attached to it was a smaller one. Rosalie opened it and was shocked to find it packed as if Bella was about to go on holiday. Her passport, traveller's cheques, sun cream, a book, her Discman, a couple of CDs and a copy of Jack Kerouac's 'On the Road' were inside, as well as an envelope addressed to their parents and her.

Rosalie opened the flap at the back, which wasn't sealed.

_September 2000_

_Dear Mum, Dad and Rosalie_

_By the time you get this, I will be in France, beginning an adventure, a voyage of discovery around the world with Edward, the boy I love and who loves me just as deeply. I am so sorry to leave without saying a proper goodbye, but I knew that if I asked to do this, you would never let me go._

_Edward doesn't come from money. He isn't an academic. He is an extremely talented musician and DJ, and one day he will be famous from it. I wish you could get to know Edward and realise that he is simply amazing. But we are a family that judges by appearance and background. I never told you about him because knew that you would take one look at him and label him a rough, Northern ne'er-do-well and think that his intentions were dishonourable, when, in fact, he treats me like a princess, and his siblings, whilst not rich, are on their way to being successful professionals. _

_I have deferred my place at Durham for a year, and I promise you that I will be in touch on my travels. I will be checking my emails when I get the opportunity and I will send you postcards and letters. _

_I hope that you will forgive me for this in time. I love you all so much, but I need to do this. I've always been your good little girl, meekly following orders and keeping up appearances. I can't do it anymore. _

_The family motto is 'Audaces fortuna iuvat' after all. Fortune Favours the Bold? This is me being bold for perhaps the first time in my life. _

_I love you all_

_Bella_

Rosalie was shocked. _Who knew Bella had it in her? _

She took the letter, and Bella's passport as an afterthought, and went into the hallway to pick up the phone.

"Hi Dad? You need to come home straight away."

-cc-

Bella returned home at around ten o'clock that night. She parked the car in the garage and made her way into the house, nervous knots tightening in her tummy. She and Edward were leaving the next day. He had their tickets. Bella had already packed everything. She just had to get up and get herself to Edward and Emmett's flat by ten o'clock the next morning, and they were catching the train from Leamington Spa to Birmingham Airport. _Twelve more hours. _

She walked into the house, which was quieter than she would expect. The only light seemed to be coming from the living room.

"Bella?" She heard her father call.

"Hi Dad." She continued heading towards the stairs.

"Could you come in here a moment, please?" Bella did as she was told, unaware that she was a lamb heading into a lion's den until she walked into the room and found her mother, father and sister sitting stiffly on the sofas, arms crossed.

"What's going on?"

Charlie pulled out the letter from his suit pocket and waved it.

"Why don't you tell us?"

Bella felt her knees start to buckle. _Oh God, they've found out. _She managed to sit down on the arm of one the plush armchairs.

"I'm going travelling, Dad. Plenty of people do it. Have a gap year."

"Not _my_ daughter!" Renee exclaimed. "Slumming it in hostels and the like, wandering around strange places with a strange boy! A musician! You'll end up pregnant or on drugs before Christmas!"

"That's exactly why I never said anything about Edward before. He's wonderful. He's a musical genius, and he loves me, Mum. I love him! He'd never let anything happen to me."

"How long have you been seeing him?" Charlie asked in a tight voice.

"Our one year anniversary is in two weeks, a few days after my birthday."

"You hid your relationship from us for _a year?!"_ Renee screeched.

"Because I knew you'd react this way! I knew that you would take one look at him and label him as bad, when he's got the kindest heart of anyone I've ever known. That you would hear his Leeds accent and judge him for not being posh. That you wouldn't care that he got the same grades than me at school or that he plays the piano like a virtuoso! That his brother's a lawyer and his sister's a doctor." Bella cried, tears flowing down her face.

"Bella, we can't let you go, my little lamb. It's not safe."

"It's not your choice, Dad. I'm almost nineteen. A legal adult."

"I will not have my daughter traipsing around Europe! You have a life plan, Isabella. Durham, postgraduate training, a career. Do this and you'd be throwing it away!"

"What if I don't want it? The grand life plan?"

"You'd rather bum around living hand-to-mouth? What kind of life is that?" Charlie retorted.

"_My _life! _My _choice!"

"And what about our family, Bella? What will people think of us when they find out our supposedly clever daughter ran away with some strange boy?" Renee added.

Rosalie decided to contribute at this point, trying to keep her voice calm, although she didn't feel it. _Bellsie, you can't do this. You're so innocent. _

"If you run away with him, Bella, it will destroy the respectability of the Swans. What if it doesn't work? How can you be so sure he's the love of your life? What are you going to do for money? You'd really sacrifice our reputation, Dad's standing in this community, make us the source of gossip for years to come, to run away with a scruffy boho musician who can't even afford a haircut?" She said, thinking of the skinny, dishevelled guy she'd seen leaving the house two weeks earlier.

"Looks are only skin deep, Rose."

"How do you know he's not just using you? That he's not going to dump you the moment he comes across some Euro-tramp?"

"Edward wouldn't! He's not like that!"

"Bella, the bottom line is, you are not going." Charlie told her firmly. Bella started to open her mouth to speak but Charlie stopped her. "Before you talk back to me again, let me tell you right now that you are not going to win this battle of wills." He held up her passport. "You can't go anywhere without this. I'm doing this for your own good, my little lamb. In time, you will realise that this is for the best. When you're older, after you've got your degree, then, maybe. I'm not letting you succumb to teenage idealism."

"I can't believe you all. I've done everything right my whole life. All for you. This is the only time I've ever done anything for myself, and even then I was trying to do it without causing a scene. And now you're taking away my dream!"

Bella collapsed into a fit of sobs, and curled herself into a ball in the corner of the sofa. Rosalie looked at her parents. Renee was sitting in the same position, seemingly unmoved. Charlie looked heartbroken. Rosalie knew their father was doing what he thought was right, but hated to see either of his children in distress. Rosalie tried to put an arm around Bella but she shrugged it off and continued to cry.

-cc-

Early the next morning, Bella awoke suddenly in her own bed.

_It was a nightmare, right? I'm still going with Edward this morning, aren't I? _

She sat up suddenly, and the throbbing in her head, the stickiness of her eyes and the soreness of her throat reminded her that, unfortunately, the drama of the previous night was real. Tears started to form in her eyes once again.

She glanced at her bedside table, where Rosalie had placed a glass of water and a packet of ibuprofen, as well as a bar of chocolate. Bella gulped at the water and swallowed two pills, but eschewed the chocolate as she felt sick.

Rubbing her face, she started to climb out of bed, not noticing the figure sitting in the armchair in the corner of her room.

"He's a good looking boy, this... _Edward." _

"Mum!"

Renee was sitting in the chair, holding Bella's box of photos, trinkets and memories.

"I can see why you're so enamoured of him. But really, Bella, did you really think it would work out in the long run? That you would be able to run off with him in the sunset?"

"We love each other Mum. He's the one. If you could only see... he's amazing."

"All I see is my teenage daughter being swept off her feet by some punk musician and preparing to throw away her life for him. Can't you see, Isabella, he's just with you because of our money and status!"

"What? No! Nuh-uh! No way! Edward loves me! He wouldn't care if I had ten pence or ten million pounds to my name!" Bella cried, shaking with agitation.

"Really? You think a guy as handsome as this..." Renee waved a picture of Edward about, "...would really choose _you,_ when he could have any girl he wanted. I bet he charmed you, played you music, told you that you were beautiful... and you lapped up the attention. I bet you were delighted to be noticed, for once."

"No, no, no..." Bella started to curl in on herself with her distress. "We're in love!"

"What do you know about love? The first guy to show you some attention and you believe you're in love, that you can run away with him like in one of those millions of novels you've read? Get real, princess! Men like this sleep with little mice like you because you're easily available, and then they run away with _beautiful_ girls. They marry _beautiful _girls!"

"He wouldn't... Edward..." Bella protested, but it was feeble. Renee had done what she set out to do- plant the seeds of doubt in Bella's mind.

"And what about your sister? She's set the date for her wedding next summer. You'd really miss being your only sister's maid of honour for him? She's been looking forward to doing all the planning with you. I know you probably hate us all right now but would you really abandon your sister, and the rest of your family, for him?

"I was always going to come back, Mum."

Renee ignored her and continued.

"Royce did everything the right way. He asked Rosalie out and he met us before they went. He got to know all of us. That's what a good guy does. I bet it was his idea not to meet us, to keep things secret, wasn't it?"

Bella was so upset that she was barely able to understand her mother, let alone answer.

"I knew it! The bottom line is that your father and I are not going to let our daughter bum around the world with some penniless musician with no prospects, no matter how good-looking he is and how much you beg or cry or plead."

Renee held up Bella's passport and turned it over and over in her hands.

"My passport..." Bella whispered.

"Your father's still asleep. If you still want to go, then you can..."

"Mum?" Bella asked, confused by Renee's about-turn.

"...but if you go, never come back. You won't be my daughter, your father's daughter or Rosalie's sister anymore. We won't be paying for university. We won't be on the other end of the phone when the big bad world swallows you up and spits you out. Forget about coming to Rosalie's wedding or being there when she has children. You won't ever be allowed to set foot here at Riverview Place. You'll be dead to us."

"You want me to choose. Going away with Edward, or my family?"

"Yes. Choose, Bella. Your family, who have loved and nurtured you for nineteen years, and who will continue to do so if you love us back. Or _him. _A boy who you've known for barely a year, who doesn't care enough about you to court you the right way, who doesn't seem to believe in the value of a university education, who plays some records and calls it work... If you choose to go with him, then to us, it will be as if you never existed."

If Bella had greater self-confidence, believed in her own strengths more, then her mother's attempts at persuasion and emotional blackmail would probably have skimmed over her. Renee would never have gotten away with it if Rosalie was the one trying to assert her independence. But Bella had had a lifetime of Renee telling her that she wasn't pretty enough, belittling her, making her feel like an under-achiever, and couldn't see what her mother was trying to do.

All Bella felt was pain. As if she was being ripped apart. She loved Edward with all her heart, but the thought of never seeing her family again, especially Rosalie, her only sibling, who she loved fiercely despite their differences, was equally distressing.

-cc-

Edward was woken at seven o'clock the next morning by the sound of the phone ringing. He got out of bed and went into his kitchen to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Edward, it's me."

"Hello love! Can you believe that in just a few hours we'll be on our way to France? It's... hey, sorry, I'm just so excited! What's up?"

He heard her take a big deep breath.

"Listen, _mon ange, _I'm really sorry, but I can't go."

"Bella? What do you mean, you can't go? What's going on?"

"Nothing. I just realised that I'm not ready to make this big trip yet."

"It's just cold feet. Look, why don't Emmett and I come get you?"

"NO!" Bella exclaimed. She decided that if Edward came to the house, it would make it so much more painful, for both of them. "No, don't do that. Don't come here. Look, I just need some more time, Edward."

"We've been planning this for months, love. Please, just let me come over and we can talk about it."

"I don't want to talk about it. I've been up all night thinking about it and the bottom line is that I'm not ready. You go, and perhaps I can join you later? Or perhaps I could come with you once I've been to university..." She suggested blithely.

"Bella, seriously, what's going on? When I spoke to you yesterday we were all sorted and now..."

"Look Edward, it's not just the travel thing I'm uncertain about. It's leaving my family. My sister's getting married and she's planned her wedding since she was five, with me as her maid of honour, and maybe we rushed into this whole big trip thing... and what if, in the long run, we turned out to not be... good for each other, if we spent so much time together. Maybe we don't know each other as well as we think. Maybe we just need some more time before we go..."

Edward read between the lines. And read wrong. The words Bella chose played to an underlying fear that he'd had since the day he met her. The day he fell in love with her.

"What you mean is that you don't think I'm good enough for you to be wasting your life with." He replied, tersely. It was a truth universally acknowledged at The Warwickshire Academy that the Swan family came from a long line of legal and military minds, and had a large accumulated fortune. In short, the Swans were old money. And old money didn't usually associate with the likes of him, whose grandfathers were soldiers not officers, whose parents scrimped and saved their whole lives. _And now Bella sees it too._

Bella suddenly realised that he had misunderstood her. _No, he thinks I don't love him. He thinks I want to break up!_

"I didn't say that. Look..."

"No. I get it. When you said you loved me, you meant that you loved me until we had to face a challenge together. And then you realised that I wasn't worthy of you. I should have expected it, but stupid me, I was blindsided. Shame on me for falling in love with a girl I quite clearly do not deserve. Thank you for reminding me of my station."

"Edward..."

"Goodbye Bella. Have a nice life."

Edward hung up and slid to the floor, shaking. He placed his hand over his pounding heart and winced as he felt the slightly raised, newly inked skin there, an elaborate black line drawing of a beautiful, elegant, serene large-winged bird. _My Bella. My beautiful Swan. Mine no more. _

Emmett found him there twenty minutes later, his eyes rimmed with red.

"Edward? What's going on?"

"Bella's not coming. She said she couldn't go through with it."

"Oh, what? Dude, it's a big thing you're doing. She's probably just got cold feet. Get your stuff and we'll drive down there..."

"No. It's not the trip. It's me. Us."

"She said that?"

"Basically."

"What are you going to do?"

Edward stood up, dried his face and decided to be defiant in the face of his heartbreak.

"I'm going on my adventure. Alone."

-cc-

* * *

**AN: *Bites nails nervously***

**What did you think? **

**The next update will be in a week's time. **

**CC xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: Thank you all for your reviews. I was so worried about how the last chapter would be received. It's such an important event in the story. I'm glad you thought that it was handled well, even though it was so sad :-(**

**On to the latest chapter, which is back in the present day. From now on, the flashback chapters won't necessarily alternate with the present day ones, but will just pop up now and then. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

March 2012

Springtime brought warmer weather and a riot of colourful flowers to Stratford-upon-Avon. The sale of Riverview Place had gone smoothly, as had Charlie's transition to his new job in criminal defence and life in the city. He was working less, earning more and even though he didn't like living in Central Birmingham that much, his stress levels had improved. Rosalie had gotten herself a temporary contract working for the firm of accountants where Ben worked and had a stable job for a few weeks. Bella was in her element writing a series of articles for The Royal Shakespeare Company's website and helping to write the programmes for the plays that were being put on at their theatre in Stratford. She adored Shakespeare. Sometimes she thought that The Bard was the most significant man in her life. They paid relatively well and Bella took the opportunity to save some of the precious surplus. Things seemed to be going well, and for the first time in a long time, the Swans were feeling cautiously optimistic that their lives were on the up.

One Saturday morning in mid-March, Bella was in the Stratford Farmers' market, wondering around, enjoying the sunshine with Gemma, while Rosalie took George to his football practice. She never bought very much, for most of it was rather expensive, but loved to look around at all the ripe, fresh, local fruit and vegetables, and other delicious products.

"Auntie Bella, look at that!" Gemma asked, pointing to a quirky-looking romanesco cauliflower. "It looks like alien broccoli!"

"It kind of does, huh? But it's pretty too, don't you think?"

"Yep." Gemma stopped and pulled out her little camera before taking several pictures of the strange vegetable. It had been a present from Angela for her birthday and she never went anywhere without it.

"Isabella?" A sweet voice said from behind them. Bella turned round to see the smiling face of Esme Cullen, carrying a wicker basket half full of produce.

"Mrs Cullen, how nice to see you again. Please, call me Bella." Bella replied.

"Oh, and you must call me Esme." Esme turned to shy Gemma, who was half-hiding behind Bella. "And who's this? Your little one?"

"Oh, no. This is my niece, Gemma. She's a little shy. Gemma, say hello, sweetie."

"Hello." Gemma replied quietly.

"How are you settling in?"

"Very well, thank you. It's a very easy house to love as well you know."

"Indeed. And you're getting used to the area?"

"Yes. We definitely made the right decision settling in here. And my family is coming to the area too." Esme beamed.

"Oh?" Bella asked, thinking of Edward automatically.

"One of my brothers, the lawyer, got a job in Warwickshire last month and the other one is hoping to open a recording studio with his business partners in the area within the next few months."

"Oh, wow. That's, uh, great news."

"Absolutely! I never asked, dear, what is it you do?"

"Auntie Bella writes." Gemma piped up, having warmed to the friendly Esme.

"Is that so?"

"Yes, I'm a freelance features writer, but I also do some current affairs and creative work. I'm working for the Royal Shakespeare Company at the moment."

"Gosh, that sounds wonderful! I'd love to be artistic, but I'm much more of a scientist. My brother Edward inherited all the family creativity. He's the musician."

Bella wanted to shout 'I know!' but held her tongue.

"Well, I'm in awe of anybody who's brave enough to be a doctor, and to have worked for _Medecins Sans Frontieres _... I can't imagine some of the things you must have seen."

Bella was about to continue when Gemma pulled at her cardigan.

"Auntie Bella, sorry but I need to go to wee-wee." She whispered, going red with embarrassment.

"Oh, OK, sweetie. Esme, I'm sorry, I think that's my cue to go."

"Of course. It was lovely to see you again." Esme replied. Bella started to turn round. "Say, Bella?"

"Esme?"

"Bella, I don't really know many people here. Carlisle and I have friends from medical school but they're all over the country, and my brothers are so busy... would you mind if we swapped phone numbers, maybe met for a coffee sometime?"

Bella hesitated for a moment. _I really like her, but what if she finds out about Edward and me? But then, how do I turn her down without being rude?_

"Err... of course. That would be lovely." Bella pulled out her ancient mobile phone, wincing internally as Esme did the same with her brand new shiny white iPhone. The two women exchanged numbers and Esme promised to text before they said their goodbyes, and Bella took Gemma into the nearby shopping centre so she could use the loo.

Esme watched them leave before calling Carlisle.

"_Hello, darling. You OK?"_

"Carlisle, guess who I bumped into? I think I made a new friend!"

-cc-

"Alice, tell us why I'm spending a precious Saturday morning in a muddy field in the middle of fucking nowhere? I thought you said that we were going to be viewing properties today." Edward whined. He had come round to the idea of developing a studio in the Warwickshire area fairly quickly when he saw Jasper's business plan, but he resented being made to leave his comfortable Chelsea apartment at the ass-crack of dawn on a Saturday to go traipsing around the countryside.

"We are, and this is it." She gestured to an expanse of green pasture, around half a mile's drive down a single track from the main road between Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham, ten miles north of the former, near the village of Henley-in-Arden. "Just walk a few steps north."

Sceptically, Edward did as she asked, and was surprised that in doing so, came across a huge old farmhouse, a little neglected, but clearly solidly built. It was surrounded by a collection of outbuildings.

"Wow, it's huge. Can we look around?"

"The agent's waiting for us inside."

Alice, Jasper and Edward got back into the silver Range Rover Alice had hired for the weekend and drove down the rest of the driveway to the house.

"It comes with planning permission to convert it from a residence into a commercial property. We're also allowed to convert the outbuildings on the site." Jasper said, although he could tell from Edward's expression that his friend wasn't going to need much persuasion.

"It's near a train station, half an hour to Birmingham Airport and not far from the motorway into London! We can add accommodation for both artists and ourselves! It's really private,which is good for security and we can have it ready by mid-May. All for half the cost of that property in Shoreditch!" Alice added joyfully.

Edward had to admit, he was impressed. And the more he looked around, the more excited he became. The building had great acoustics, plenty of space and room to expand. And he couldn't deny that it would be great to work somewhere where the view was of rolling green fields and trees rather than brick walls and drunk people pissing on them. He could feel musical notes in his head forming bars, and those bars forming songs, just from being there.

"You guys like this place?" He asked.

Alice grinned. _He's in._

"Hell yeah!" She cried.

"Totally, man. Financially, this place is solid gold. We'd own the land and the properties. There's room to build two separate recording suites, which means double the work, which means double the cash."

"I like it too. Let's do it!"

As the trio came together in a group hug, Edward's mobile started to ring.

_Esme_

"Hey, Sis!"

_"You sound cheerful!"_

"We've just found the site of our new studios!"

_"You're in the area?"_

"Well, sort of. This place is near Henley-in-Arden..."

_"Great! You're not far at all! Now what time can I expect you for lunch?"_

"Err... I don't know..."

_"Edward Anthony Cullen Junior! You're less than ten miles away from my new house, which you're yet to visit, and you're not coming to see me?"_

"Esme... I'm with Alice and Jasper..."

_"Bring them too! It'll be great to see them again!"_

"Err..."_ Shit, I can't say no. I'm going to have to go back to that house._

Alice, eavesdropping without shame, snatched the phone from Edward.

"Esme, it's Alice."

_"Alice. So great to hear your voice! It's been far too long since we've seen each other! Tell Edward he's being a muppet, and come for lunch when you're done there. I've been to the Farmers' Market this morning and have some lovely local produce. It'll make a delicious spread."_

"Why, we would love to come. We're going to go over some paperwork with the agent and we can be there by midday, half past twelve at the latest."

_"Perfect. See you then!"_

"Bye-ee!" Alice hung up and handed the phone to Edward before punching him in the shoulder.

"Hey!"

"You're a muppet! Esme said so! Why don't you wanna go to your sister's place for lunch?"

"I just... we're busy and..."

"I call bullshit!" Jasper cried. "Seriously, man, you've been using every excuse in the book to avoid coming out here. What's up?"

"Nothing!" Edward tried to feign nonchalance, but was failing. "I just... the year I spent living in this area was the year after my parents died, you know. It feels weird, that's all." He added, hoping they'd let it go. "But it's a great part of the world and this is going to be a great place for our new studios."

"Mmm..." Jasper knew there was more to it but decided not to press him further. For the time being.

-cc-

Emmett Cullen was a month into his new job as Sector Crown Prosecutor for Warwickshire, and for the fourth Saturday in a row, he was at work. He had formed a plan of action for tackling the huge pile of pending serious assault and armed robbery cases, and now he was looking at white-collar crimes- embezzlement, money laundering and fraud.

"For fuck's sake!" He exclaimed to his empty office, throwing his pen down in frustration. "How can there be so many unsolved, half-investigated, mismanaged complex fraud cases? What the bloody fuck have they been doing here?"

He had no idea, upon taking the job of Sector Crown Prosecutor, how sloppily the department had been managed. _Bloody hell, no wonder they were so keen to give me the job. Young, naive and with nothing better to do. But if they think I'm going to quit, they've got another think coming. No way! _

Emmett's mobile phone began to ring, distracting him from his irritation. It was his sister.

"Hey Sis."

_"Oh, Emmy, you sound stressed. Again."_

"There's so much to do! I wonder how the former Chief missed this level of mismanagement in one of his departments."

_"I'm sorry, Em. Look, did you know Edward was in the area?"_

"Yeah, I remember Alice mentioning it the other day at dinner that they were coming to look at new premises or something."

_"Well, he, Alice and Jasper are coming for lunch when they're done. Why don't you take a break and come too?"_

"I don't know, Esme. I've got shitloads to sort out..."

_"Just for a little while. You've got to eat!" _Esme was very persuasive, and Emmett needed little when it came to food.

"OK, see you in a couple of hours."

Before leaving for lunch, Emmett meticulously went through the pile, prioritising and sorting out the cases that had not been brought to trial. What shocked him was that in half the cases, the Crown Prosecution Service and the police knew where the perpetrators were and had evidence in boxes waiting to be sorted out, but simply hadn't got round to putting the cases together for trial. Some of them were more than five years old.

Emmett picked up the oldest case that needed investigating.

_Regina__*** (see AN at end)**__ vs King, Royce Adam. Serious fraud, money laundering and embezzlement x 8 counts. Suspected location of defendant: Channel Islands. _

The case was over six years old and Emmett was appalled that the department had more than enough potential lines of evidence to build a case but hadn't done so. Where were the victim interviews? Why had nobody contacted police in the Channel Islands to try to track him down? Why had Royce King's family not been interviewed? The value of the frauds ran into tens of millions of pounds. It was a huge case. Why had it been left for so long?

Emmett vowed that he was going to clean up the department and put his barristers and advocates to work, starting with the case of Royce King.

-cc-

After going around the Farmers' Market and the shops in Stratford all morning, Bella and Gemma headed over to the park to meet Rosalie and George for a picnic lunch.

"Auntie Bella! Gem!" George barrelled over to them, dressed in his football kit which was covered with mud. "I scored the winning goal! It was ace!"

"Well done!" Bella kissed him on the forehead.

"Coo-el!" Gemma echoed, high-fiving her brother. Despite their different personalities, the twins were extremely close.

They walked to the picnic bench where Rosalie had set up the picnic, along with Vera, her best friend, whose son Henry was George's best friend.

"Hey, Bellsie! How was your mooch around the market?" Rosalie asked as she pulled out boxes of vegetable sticks, sandwiches and muffins from a cooler.

"Good."

"We saw alien broccoli Mummy!"

"Alien broccoli?"

"Yeah! I took pictures!"

Bella explained about the romanesco cauliflower.

"And we met a nice lady. Emmay... no... Smay... Esme! She asked Auntie Bella to be friends with her." Gemma added before sitting down at the table next to George who chattered away to his sister and friend excitedly about the games they were going to play that afternoon in the park.

"Esme?"

"Esme Cullen."

Rosalie raised an eyebrow at her sister. She knew the name from discussions with Charlie about the sale of Riverview Place, but Bella had not told her family that the Edward for whom she still pined was Edward Cullen, famous music producer, and that Esme was his sister.

"She doesn't know anyone in the area. She asked if we could swap numbers."

"Doesn't it feel weird? It would be for me."

_More than you know, Rose._

"She probably won't call. She'll get to know her neighbours and work colleagues and forget that she's even got it." Bella replied, trying to sound casual. "Anyway, I'm going to be late to meet Angela so I'd better get going."

"OK, Bellsie. See you later."

Bella grabbed a peanut butter sandwich and headed off, munching as she went. Fifteen minutes' walk later, she was at Angela's comfortable office in the gallery. They were going to the cinema to see _Bel Ami _as Angela's assistant manager was looking after the gallery for the afternoon.

"Hey Ang!"

"Bella! You ready to go?"

"Sure." Bella replied, without as much enthusiasm as usual. Angela spotted it immediately.

"Bella?"

"I just..." Bella closed her eyes and let the pain of her memories wash over her. Seeing Esme again had speared the fragile bubble she'd formed around her heart with regards to Edward. She had managed to hold things together for as long as she could, but she couldn't hold it in anymore. Tears leaked down her cheeks and she started trembling.

"Oh, shit. Bella, what happened?"

"S-so much."

Angela led Bella to the sofa pushed along one wall of the office before holding her best friend in a hug until her sobs subsided.

"Come on Bella-boo, start talking."

"I bet you can guess what it's to do with."

"Edward?" Bella nodded. "In twenty years of friendship, the only times I've ever seen you cry are because of him. What happened?"

Bella told her best friend about Esme and Carlisle buying Riverview Place, of Emmett's job and Edward's plans for a studio in the area, and of running into Esme earlier that day.

"He's so close, and yet so far, Ang. It's ridiculous, because it's quite clear he's moved on, but he still has such a hold on me. Why can't I let him go? I wish I'd never let my mother get to me. I wish I'd been strong enough to see that she was undermining our relationship for the sake of appearance and because she was unhappy with my dad. Edward loved me then, Ang. He did!"

"I know, Bella."

Angela thought back to their final year at school- Edward and Bella were practically joined at the hip during the school day. Edward ignored pretty much every other girl and scared off any guy that dared to approach Bella. Angela had found him attractive, of course, but it was so clear to anyone who saw him with Bella, that he had eyes for nobody else. He was moody, surly and struggled with the school's strict rules, but with Bella next to him, he became friendly and warm. He and Angela got on well, and the three of them often hung out.

"I'm sorry. We were supposed to be having a fun girls' day and here I am, dragging down the mood."

"Don't apologise. You hold all of this stuff in, trying to battle through stoically. It's good for you to let these things out. Maybe..." Angela paused.

"Maybe... what?"

"Maybe if you talked more about him with Rosalie and your father, you'd be able to let go of your regrets and move on. Perhaps part of the problem is that you hold it all in, which means you can't move past it."

"I find it so difficult, Ang. They have so much going on. This is the first time in a very long time that Dad feels unburdened, and Rosalie's not been constantly stressed, and I don't want to tip us downwards by having these big discussions about my feelings and regrets."

"They probably know, Bella. Apart from a handful of dates, and whatshisname, your dad's friend's son for, like, a week when you were twenty-one, you haven't been with anybody since. Maybe you could just start going out more, meeting some different people."

"It's hard though, what with helping with the twins and work and..."

"They're excuses, Bella. Maybe one reason you can't let Edward go is because you don't want to. You got hurt and it feels safer to imagine what could have been with him, that getting back out there and finding something real." Angela suggested tentatively. "And now that you're meeting people with connections to him, it reminds you that you're stuck, that you're not living your life the way you want to, whilst he is. Don't you think it's time you started enjoying life? Taking chances?"

"You should have been a shrink, Ang." Bella replied, smiling through her tears. "You have a point. I think that I'm going to meet Esme Cullen if she calls me, and maybe, if the right moment comes, I'll talk about things with Rosalie and my father."

"It's the first step, Bella-boo. Just try, OK?"

"OK."

-cc-

Edward felt queasy and dizzy with nerves as Jasper manoeuvred the Range Rover into the wide driveway of Riverview Place.

"Holy moly, that's one helluva gorgeous pile o'bricks!" Alice cried. "No wonder Esme and Carlisle fell in love with it!"

"Uh-huh. It's great." Edward said blandly.

Jasper rolled his eyes at Edward in the mirror. Edward ignored him, too wrapped up in the memories that the sight of Riverview Place brought forth.

"Your sister's seen us." Jasper spotted Esme waving in a front window. "Do ya think you could at least try to be nice about the place?"

"Mmm..." Edward stepped out of the car as Esme rushed out of the front door.

"Edward!" Esme hugged her little brother as tight as she could manage.

"Hey Sis."

"It's so good to see you! Now, come in, come in! You must be starving! Lunch is all ready!" Esme was giddy with excitement. "Alice! Jasper! You both look so well!" She hugged them in turn. "It's been way too long! Has it really been a year since we met up in L.A?"

"I know. It's been way too long!" Alice agreed, wrapping her arm around Esme's waist as they walked through the red double front door, Edward and Jasper following. As he took his first step across the threshold, Edward hesitated, causing Jasper to run into him from behind, so Edward stumbled forward and fell forward, and Jasper fell on top of him.

"Ow! Jesus! Fuck!"

"What the hell, Edward?"

"You fucking fell into me!"

"Why are you being such a colossal shit today?"

"Boys!" Esme cried. "Get up, dust yourselves off and stop swearing at each other. Lunch is ready. After we eat, I'll show you round."

Edward and Jasper scowled at each other before following Esme to the kitchen, where Carlisle was opening a bottle of bubbly.

"Oh thank God, alcohol." Edward muttered under his breath.

Jasper heard and growled softly. He had made the decision to avoid all drugs, including alcohol and tobacco, after getting out of rehab for a nasty heroin addiction that nearly killed him. Edward had been the one to rescue him, but sometimes, unknowingly or unthinkingly, Jasper felt that his best friend rubbed his choices in his face. Edward, when he was working hard writing or producing music, would go weeks without touching a drop of alcohol, and then would spend a weekend caning vodka shots and tequila slammers in London's most fashionable clubs, or drinking beer all day whilst watching football with Emmett. He'd then be fine on Monday morning. Jasper had never had that ability; when he started, he could never stop.

"It's English sparkling wine. Supposed to be a great alternative to champagne." Carlisle told them, passing each of them a glass, except for Jasper. "Jasper, sparkling grape or apple?"

"Apple, thank you."

Emmett arrived soon after and they sat down to lunch.

"Esme, you've outdone yourself here." Alice said, eyeing the impressive spread of local cheeses, fresh bread, salads made with the vegetables Esme had bought that morning, and a homemade spring vegetable minestrone soup. A pear and ginger cake from a local bakery sat in the corner for later.

"Thank you, Alice."

Everyone sat down for lunch at the large table in the all-white kitchen. Edward picked at his food, whilst everyone else ate with a hearty appetite. He kept looking around. _It looks exactly the same._

"So, it seems like you guys have settled in real well. The house is immaculate! It took Jasper and me months to get rid of all the boxes and to redecorate when we bought our house!"

"Well, we didn't bring very much with us from Australia, so all the furniture you'll see is brand new. And to be honest, the house was so well-kept that we didn't really need to redecorate. I'm sure we will in time, but right now, we're happy living with the Swans' choice in decor."

"The Swans?" Jasper asked, not catching the uncomfortable glances between Edward and Emmett.

"The family who sold the house to us."

"Why did they sell? If I lived here, I'd never wanna leave!"

"I don't know for sure. The two daughters are grown and there are grandchildren. Charles Swan moved to central Birmingham for a new job apparently. The agent said that there was a divorce a few years ago and alluded to financial problems. I don't know the details..."

Edward had only really heard the words 'grandchildren.' He felt sick at the thought that Bella might have a family of her own. _She would have married a lawyer or a doctor or a company director. Two point four kids, puppy, estate car and a nice, clean, 9 to 5. Generic and secure. The opposite of what I could offer her. _

"...it doesn't matter really. But I've met his daughter a couple of times. She's a lovely girl about your age called Isabella and she works as a freelance writer here in Stratford. We've swapped numbers and I'm going to ask her to meet for coffee next week..."

Edward choked on a mouthful of soup.

"Edward? Are you OK?" Emmett asked.

"Err..."

"Do you know Isabella?" Carlisle guessed. _That was the reason for the look Isabella gave us when we met. She and Edward know each other. There's a story there. _

"Um..." Edward couldn't answer. _Esme wants to be friends with Bella? _

Emmett decided to step in. It was obvious from Edward's reaction that he was familiar with Bella's name, but Emmett felt, instinctively, that it was not right for him to reveal their true connection. _Edward would have a aneurysm or something._

"Wasn't Isabella Swan your, uh, project partner in your Media Studies class?"

"Yeah... she was...uh, actually, I, um, really don't feel so well..."

"Jeez, you look really pale." Alice added.

Edward got up abruptly and ran for the downstairs loo, where he spectacularly vomited out the contents of his stomach. Such was the overwhelming effect of the memory of Bella.

Carlisle and Esme checked him over and got him to lie down in a guest room. It wasn't until a lot later that it occurred to them that Edward had known exactly where the downstairs loo was, without being shown.

-cc-

"Hey, wake up Bro." Edward was vaguely aware of Emmett's voice.

"Wha...what time is it?"

"About four. You've been asleep for at least a couple of hours. Esme is worried that you're coming down with something. How are you feeling?"

"I'm OK. I'm not coming down with a bug."

"Didn't think you were. It's this place isn't it?"

"Yeah." Edward looked around. "Fuck. This was her room."

Emmett took in the light blue walls and the white dado rail.

"Her colour. She loved blue, if I remember rightly."

"She did. I'm sure she still does." He replied with chagrin. "Esme wants her to become her new best friend!"

"Edward, maybe that's not a bad thing. Perhaps you should take the opportunity to meet Bella too, or at least speak or write to her. Get closure or some shit like that."

"I don't need closure. I've moved on. I don't give a damn about her."

"Big ugly bollocks." Emmett replied. "Just because you're a serial blonde-chaser, doesn't mean you've moved on. If you had, you wouldn't have thrown up the moment Esme mentioned her name. It's not over for you. And you never know, maybe it's not over for Bella either."

"You forget Em, she was the one who dumped me."

"How would I know? It's been over eleven years, man, almost twelve. And you have never, ever told me exactly what was said."

Edward sighed.

"And I'm not starting now. Yes, Bella was my first love. Yes, by a weird series of coincidences I am currently lying in a bed in the room where I last made love to her. If our paths cross, I will be able to be civil to her. But I don't have any feelings for her anymore. Not at all." He said it with an air of confidence, but deep down, he was anything but.

-cc-

**AN: The Crown Prosecution Service is a bit like the District Attorney's office in the USA. They are responsible for prosecuting crimes. All cases are described as ****_Regina vs... _****Regina being Latin for 'Queen,' what with the UK being a constitutional monarchy. It's a bit archaic, but that's just the way things are over here sometimes. **

**Thanks for reading! **


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Hello everyone and thank you so much to everyone that reviewed the last chapter. I'm really touched at all your kind words. **

**A few people asked how Charlie could have missed the slack in one of his departments, especially with regards to a case that affected him personally. As Charlie was personally involved in the Royce King case, as a victim, it would not be right for him ethically to get involved with the prosecution as he could not be objective. Therefore he entrusted the case to Emmett's predecessor, who, for reasons that will become clear as the story progresses, buried the case. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This chapter features a poem called ****_Running_**** which I unfortunately did not write. ****_Running _****is adapted from the song of the same name by the amazing, wonderful Jessie Ware. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Eight**

June 2012

Two months after buying the farmhouse outside the small Warwickshire town of Henley-in-Arden, the renovations were complete and AJE Records became the proud owners of The Elizabeth Studios, named after Edward's mother, but it was also the name of Alice's beloved maternal grandmother. There were two standard recording studios, a large acoustic studio which could hold an orchestra, and a small auditorium, where Edward, Alice and Jasper could record live performances and jam sessions, and test out new tracks. There was also an office suite with a conference room, kitchen facilities, a relaxation room/library, two comfortable waiting lounges, luxury apartments for artists and their entourages, apartments for the productions staff and two cottages, one for Alice and Jasper, and one for Edward.

Edward and his junior producers Tia, Benjamin, Charles and Makenna all found themselves very busy, now that they were able to take on more production work, and Edward in particular, threw himself in head first. Alice and the A&R team stepped up their activity by doing a massive scout for new talent. Jasper continued to oversee everything and was delighted to see that their investment was already paying off.

A month after opening, Alice and Edward were trying to plan out production for the debut album of Bree Tanner, an angelic nineteen year-old Northern Irish girl who Alice heard busking when in Belfast the previous November. Edward had heard her lilting, haunting-yet-innocent voice and knew instantly that he wanted to produce her album personally, including writing tracks for it in-house.

Edward's forte was the music, but he wasn't any good with lyrics. As most of their artists were songwriters, or did dance music which required few lyrics, Edward, Alice and Jasper had decided against hiring a full-time lyricist before because they thought they couldn't justify the expense. However, now they were struggling to produce quality tracks for Bree's album and Alice, who adored the young artist, was getting very frustrated.

"No."

"Alice..."

"Edward, no! Is he fucking kidding? This is all he can come up with?"

"They fit the melody..." Edward countered, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. The lyrics Randall Barnes had come up with were pretty weak, and Alice's will was very strong.

"I don't care! Bree Tanner looks like a little cherub. That's her whole image. Good, pure, virginal. Do you really want her singing '_Baby, baby, I'm out to impress. Baby, baby, just watch me undress'?_"

"OK, they're awful. But what do we do now? We were aiming to have her album out by Christmas and I don't want to pay for tracks from external songwriters when I know that the melodies I've written for her are perfect."

"We need to find a new lyricist, and soon, otherwise all the prep work we've done will go to shit and her manager will be at Island or Prince Records faster than we can blink."

"How? Good lyricists like fucking gold-dust. Even Randall Barnes has a massive waiting list. Remember how long it took him to meet with us to write those tracks for Nahuel?"

"Yes, although that was a fruitless exercise. Thank you J-Lo and Pitbull. Offering to write and produce his whole album out of the blue." Alice huffed, still annoyed at not getting to work with the talented artist. "I need to think about this a bit more. Think about how I'm gonna find a lyricist who can work short notice, who's new and fresh."

"You do that. I've got a conference call with Nicki Minaj's agent in ten minutes and then Mike and I need to plan the interviews for the internship programme."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. It was Mike, Edward's assistant, and Eric, Alice's assistant.

"Sorry to interrupt but, um, Lauren has called in sick." Mike explained.

"Yes, apparently she's got stomach 'flu and is going to be off for the whole week." Eric added, a touch of scepticism in his voice.

"Great!" Alice cried sarcastically. "That's all we need. It's only Monday and the week's become shit! We've got no tracks for Bree, a full timetable of new artist meetings, the studios are all fully booked and we've got press visiting at the end of the week! How can we not have a receptionist?" Alice screeched. "And how has she managed to get stomach 'flu anyway? I've not heard that anyone else is sick!"

"Calm down Alice! Do you need some Feminax or something? Is it... you know?" Edward replied, without thinking.

"Edward, please, don't imply she's hormonal, please!" Eric whispered.

Too late.

"Fuck you, you dick! It's not PMS! Do you not fucking care that we have the busiest week we've had in an age and WE HAVE NO RECEPTIONIST?! What kind of impression does that give?"

"Jeez, Alice, please relax. We'll just contact a temp agency. Mike, Eric, get the HR team on the case. We need someone presentable. That's almost as important as whether she can handle the phones and emails." Edward told the assistants.

"On it, Boss." Mike replied.

Eric and Mike left the room quickly, before Alice could blow up any more.

"How dare you say something like that to me in front of our assistants?! You promised me that you wouldn't turn our business into a boys' club... well, what the fuck do you call that?"

"Look, I'm sorry! It was insensitive, but I just didn't think that not having a receptionist was that big a deal. After all, we managed without one for nearly a month until Lauren started last week."

"Yes, and it was our assistants who were run ragged during that time, trying to keep on top of the phone calls, the messages, the faxes and the emails. D'ya know, Austin fell asleep once, mid-conversation with Jasper? That's why we rushed to hire that Lauren girl." Alice countered, feeling just a little calmer.

"I didn't realise Austin had been struggling." Edward said of Jasper's assistant.

"It wasn't just Austin. Mike and Eric too. They can't be at our beck and call all the time and do the job of a receptionist-slash-secretary too. Not everyone's a machine, like you, you know."

"I'm not a machine." Edward murmured.

"Could have fooled me. You've barely left this place since we opened. You haven't been to see Esme and Carlisle, you haven't had one of your 'BBB' nights with Emmett. You haven't even been blonde-chasing..."

"I just..." Edward tugged at his shaggy auburn hair. "...I'm in a creative zone right now and it's important to keep up the momentum. I'm making great progress."

Alice didn't believe him for a second. She hadn't gotten to the bottom of it, but despite Edward agreeing to the new studios being in Warwickshire, it was as if he couldn't let himself settle. He hadn't really been himself since that day three months earlier, when they offered to buy the property and had lunch at Carlisle and Esme's house for the first time.

"Yeah, yeah, keep telling yourself that."

-cc-

"Tyler, surely you can understand my frustration. It's been months since I submitted my manuscript, and I've heard nothing. If you don't think it's any good, or if you're not having any success getting publishers to look at it, then I'd rather you told me."

_"Bella, Bella, Bella... what did I say to you? It's all about trust. And it's a two-way street. I trust the quality of your work, and you trust that I'll get it out there. You just need to be patient. I have a couple of meetings lined up next week. Don't you worry your pretty little head about it. We'll have your little story published in no time!"_

Bella bit her tongue at her supposed literary agent's patronising and rather dismissive attitude.

"Fine, Tyler, fine. Talk soon."

_"Bye, doll."_

Fuming, Bella stomped up the stairs to the kitchen. She had finished her contract with the Royal Shakespeare Company and had no writing jobs lined up, so was having to work more shifts at The Stag, and was more tired as a result.

"I take it your conversation with Tyler didn't go too well." Rosalie commented. She too, was between jobs, her post with Ben's accountancy firm having finished the previous week.

"God, he's such a shit. I wish I wasn't locked into a contract with him."

"Maybe you should get Dad to take a look at it, now that he's not so busy. Is it not up for renewal anytime soon?"

"Maybe. But the bottom line is that no other agent wanted my manuscript but Tyler. They all said that my story wouldn't appeal to a mass market audience."

"Well, it can't hurt to have Dad look at the contract anyway. Say, Bellsie, what's happening with your websites?"

"My features one is fine. It looks professional and when I book jobs in, editors often refer to it. But my creative writing blog is a mess. It looks boring and I haven't updated it in ages."

"Maybe you could think about doing and sharing more creative writing stuff digitally. Sprucing up your blog to make it look prettier and more professional. Using social media to discuss your writing with other writers, authors, editors and publishers. Treat it like a public portfolio the way you do your professional one. Even if it doesn't make you money in the short-term, I think you'd benefit from more feedback from readers and feeling more... I don't know... involved in the whole writing community. You might find that actually, your stuff does appeal to certain niche groups."

Bella considered her sister's suggestion.

"You do make good points, Rosie. I don't make the most of my blog, but I'm not sure where to start with making it look pretty, and as for social media, the whole Facebook and Twitter thing scares me. I'm afraid I'd make an ass of myself over the internet and that everyone's going to laugh at how shit my writing is."

"Your stuff is brilliant. I wish you'd believe it. Look, seeing as I'm off this week, why don't I help you?"

"That would be great..."

Bella was interrupted by the shrill ring of Rosalie's mobile phone.

"Shit. It's the agency. Sorry Bellsie, I should take this." Bella gestured for her to go ahead. "Hello, yes this is Rosalie King... today? Where? Henley-in-Arden? Yes, I know the area well... I could be there in an hour... how long will they want me? Oh... hang on, I need to check with my sister..." Rosalie cupped her hand over the receiver. "Bella can you look after the kids this week? This job is paying twice the normal rate but the work day is 8am until 6pm."

Bella thought about their sparse finances for the month of June. _Ten hour days at double the going rate. We could really do with that money..._

"I can do it as long as you're back by seven so I can do my shifts at The Stag."

"I can do that."

"Hi Julie? Yes, I can commit to the whole week although I wouldn't be able to stay any later than 6pm.. brilliant... thanks... Bye."

"Good job, then?"

"Yep. Receptionist and admin assistant at a new music recording studio near Henley. It's for the whole week to cover sickness. As well as double the usual rate, they're paying travel expenses and the job includes meals provided on site." Rosalie told her sister. "I'd better get ready. Raincheck on the blog?"

"Sure."

"Thanks, Bellsie." Rosalie drained her tea and pecked her sister on the cheek before running upstairs.

Bella sat down and placed her head in her hands. _My sister is going to be within spitting distance of Edward. And his sister has become a really good friend of mine. _

She glanced at the kitchen clock. 10.45am.

_And now I'm going to be late to meet her. Great._

-cc-

Esme Cullen was radiant with happiness. She had a job she loved, but had Mondays off so it wasn't too hectic. She had a beautiful house. She had a wonderful husband who she loved even more than the day she married him. Her brothers were nearby, even if they were both ridiculously busy. She had a lovely new group of friends, and of all of them, it was Bella to whom she felt closest. But best of all, she had a little miracle growing inside of her.

Esme, at the age of forty, was nearly twelve weeks pregnant. She and Carlisle had decided that they would wait until they were settled until having children, and it had never felt like the right time or the right place when they were living in Australia. They had worked for the Flying Doctors' Service, and then they had worked long hours training, Carlisle to be a trauma surgeon and Esme to be a paediatrician. However, when they were fully trained, and the opportunity to return to England came up, they both agreed that they would try for a baby for two years, and if after that they weren't successful, they would give up and accept that it wasn't going to happen for them.

Esme was almost skipping with happiness as she walked into the small cafe where she was meeting Bella. She was teaching her new friend to knit, and in return, Bella was teaching her about Shakespeare. They had developed a routine of meeting weekly on Esme's day off, and it had fast become one of the highlights of her week. Bella, she learnt quickly, was warm-hearted, generous and utterly selfless, but crippled by a lack of self-confidence, almost painful shyness and, Esme suspected, some past traumatic event that she still struggled to come to terms with. Esme was also curious that Bella had not mentioned that she knew Edward. She decided not to prompt her about the acquaintance, instead deciding that Bella would bring it up when she was ready.

After about 10 minutes of waiting, a red-faced Bella turned up at the cafe, having rushed to get there. She was dressed in dark blue jeans, a battered pair of Converse trainers and her ancient A Clockwork Orange t-shirt, tied at the hip in a knot, looking twenty-one rather than thirty years old.

"Esme, I'm so sorry I'm late. I got a bit waylaid by my sister."

"No problem." Esme stood up to give Bella a friendly hug. "I haven't been here long." Esme pulled out knitting needles and a midnight blue ball of yarn, and handed it to Bella, before pulling out another set, attached to a cream coloured ball.

"Oh good. How are you?"

"I'm great actually. The thing is, I've got some news..." Esme beamed, semi-consciously patting her tummy. Bella got it straight away.

"Oh my gosh, Esme are you pregnant?"

"Yes!"

"That's fantastic!" Bella got up out of her chair and gave her a hug. "How many weeks?"

The two women chatted about Esme's pregnancy and Bells shared stories about when Rosalie was pregnant with George and Gemma. The conversation drifted onto knitting- Esme was showing Bella how to knit a scarf, and she was knitting baby bonnets and booties. Then Bella directed them into a conversation on Shakespeare's _As You Like It, _with Bella highlighting some of the themes to an entranced Esme, who had seen the play the previous week.

Just as they were finishing, there was a knock on the window. Bella and Esme looked up. It was Angela, waving at them. She turned and came into the cafe.

"Hello! This is a nice surprise."Angela said. "I was going to text you later."

"Ang, hey! Esme this is Angela Cheney, my best friend. Ang, this is Esme Cullen."

"I've heard so much about you!" Both Angela and Esme cried at the same time, before laughing at their synchronicity.

"Bella tells me that you're teaching her to knit."

"Yes, an in return, she's enlightening me about the nuances in Shakespeare. You should write a book, Bella. You're so good."

Bella, naturally, blushed.

"Thanks." She whispered. Esme squeezed her hand warmly.

"How long have you girls known each other?" Esme continued.

"Nearly twenty years, would you believe?! We met on our first day at The Warwickshire Academy, when we were eleven and just clicked. Even though boys and university and jobs kept us busy, we've always managed to find time for each other."

"That's lovely. I spent so many years abroad and have great friends all over the world, but never had one lifelong best friend." Esme replied, a touch regretfully. "It sounds like you enjoyed your schooldays."

"We did." Angela replied cheerfully, oblivious to Bella's widening eyes and red face. "It was a great school. Sadly not so great nowadays, not since our old headmistress Mrs Cope passed away a couple of years ago."

Esme couldn't help but smile at the thought of the school which had taken Edward in for free for his final year, so generously. She had even written Shelley Cope a thank you letter from Rwanda when Edward came away with four 'A' grades and a distinction in Music.

"That's a shame." She replied politely, before impulsively adding, "Actually, my brother went there. Edward Cullen? It was only for a year but..."

Angela suddenly realised her slip, and glanced at Bella, who had gone red with mortification.

"It was a really big class." Bella whispered.

"Oh, um, the name's familiar, but um, uh, yeah, it was a big cohort..." Angela was only slightly better at lying than Bella. Esme decided not to press them further, although she knew that there was more to the story. _What exactly happened between Bella and Edward?_

"Well, I'm afraid I'm going to have to get going, but it was lovely to meet you Angela. I'm sure we'll meet again soon."

"Absolutely. Great to meet you too."

Once Esme had left, Angela turned to Bella.

"I'm so sorry! I just completely forgot who I was talking to. She's so disarmingly friendly and..."

"Ang, don't worry about it. She was always going to find out sooner or later."

"Do you think she's figured it out then?"

"Probably. She's very smart. I'll just have to face her questions when she asks."

-cc-

In the three hours since Rosalie had arrived at The Elizabeth Studios, she had met Eric, Austin and Mike, who were delighted, not only by her appearance, but also because she seemed to grasp everything they told her instantly, and was well-spoken and polite, if a little aloof. They gave Rosalie a tour round, showed her how to use the phones and intercom system, master the espresso machine and access the general enquiries email account and the online diary. It was a very efficient induction and Rosalie approved. In fact, she already felt rather comfortable. She reflected that it was nice to be working somewhere clean, calm and tidy, where the people were respectful and friendly, even though she was only going to be there for a week.

At 1.30pm, Rosalie opened the doors for Riley-B, along with his entourage. Thanks to the online diary, she knew they were coming to meet with Alice, Jasper and the marketing team about promoting his new album, now that Edward was finally happy with it.

Riley-B took one look at beautiful, blonde Rosalie and turned on what he thought was charm.

"Hey, baby..."

Rosalie fought the urge to roll her eyes at the teenage artist and plastered on a fake smile.

"Good afternoon, sir. Welcome to The Elizabeth Studios. My name is Rosalie. Mr and Mrs Whitlock will be with you shortly. Please follow me."

She showed them through a frosted glass door to a private seated area.

"Would you like something to drink, sir?"

"Can I tell you what I'd _really like..._?" Riley-B replied. Rosalie bit her tongue and waited expectantly. "I'd like you to come sit right here..." He pointed at his green skinny boy jeans-covered crotch, "...and show me some shoo-gaah!" He continued to leer at her, licking his lips as he took in her hourglass figure.

Rosalie let go of her tongue and unleashed her fiery temper.

"Oh, yes, _please!" _She began sarcastically. "I woke up this morning and thought, yes, this is my lucky day! I get to come to work to be treated like a whore by some teenage punk who thinks that because a few people bought his album, he can behave however the fuck he wants! Listen, you little shit, I may not be famous and I may not be rich, but I _am_ a woman who deserves some respect and not to be sexually harassed at her workplace!"

There was a beat of awkward silence. Riley-B and his entourage looked suitably embarrassed, and Rosalie was suddenly mortified. _Way to go, Rose. Best job you've landed in ages and you have to blow it by shooting your mouth off. _

"Hey." A female, American-accented voice said from behind her. Rosalie whipped round and then groaned internally. She didn't need to be told that the petite, raven-haired woman she now faced, dressed in a hot pink Herve Leger bodycon dress and black patent leather Christian Louboutin open-toed stiletto pumps, was Alice Brandon Whitlock.

"Mrs Whitlock...err... I'm so sorr..."

Alice held up her hand to pause Rosalie and then glared at Riley.

"For fuck's sake Riley, if I EVER hear you speak to any woman like that again, I will drop you from this label faster than you can blink! Got it?" Alice said commandingly, hands on hips. She was small, but formidable.

Riley-B shrank back into the sofa and nodded sullenly.

"Good. I suggest you and your manager re-read your contract. There's a good behaviour clause." Alice added before turning to Rosalie. "Come with me?"

Rosalie swallowed hard and followed Alice to the drinks room behind the main reception desk.

"Mrs Whitlock, I'm so sorry... I'm not normally so rude but he just..."

"Rosalie, please, it's OK. I'm the one who should be sorry. Are you all right? I heard what he said to you and it was disgusting. He's a little shit, that Riley-B, but he's a talented little shit, which is why we keep him. You're right. You shouldn't have to be subjected to such talk. I'm actually impressed with how articulate you were when you were angry. "

"Well, if there's one thing I can deliver, it's a well-timed retort." Rosalie laughed drily.

Alice laughed with her.

"Alice Brandon-Whitlock. Nice to meet you. Officially." Alice held her hand out. Rosalie smiled sheepishly and shook it.

"Rosalie King. Nice people are allowed to call me Rose."

"And just to clarify, you think I'm a nice person?"

"I do."

"Good. Because I am!" Alice giggled. "You can go on back to the front desk. I'll send my assistant Eric to get Riley in five. I need to have a word with my husband first."

"Sure."

"Thank you, Rose."

Alice left Rosalie to it and went to the meeting room where Jasper and the marketing team were setting up the AV materials.

"Hey darlin'. Everything OK?"

"Yeah. Just Riley being his usual asshole self and almost causing us a sexual harassment suit."

"The receptionist? Mike and Austin were saying that she's rather..." Jasper chose his words carefully. "...attractive."

"Yup. Tall, blonde, model face, porn star tits. Oh, and one helluva temper. She really put Riley in his place."

"You like her." Jasper observed.

"She's awesome. I have a real good feeling about her. It's just a shame she's a temp."

-cc-

Over the next few days, Bella was kept busy by looking after the twins whilst Rosalie was at work, her shifts at The Stag and by her writing. After considering Rosalie's suggestion, she decided to put more effort into her blog. She redesigned it so it looked sleek and easy-to-navigate, and spent any free time updating it with several of her new poems, a couple of short stories, and a new writing venture, a serial, multi-chapter story, which she intended to update weekly. Set in the time of Shakespeare, Angela had read the first chapter and described it as an 'amazing Elizabethan soap opera in the making.' She hadn't yet ventured into promoting the blog, but it was on the cards.

After the drama of Rosalie's first day at The Elizabeth Studios, the rest of the week was straightforward, although very busy. She used any downtime to organise the reception area, the directories, calendars and beverage room, having been appalled at the lack of order, and when she was done with that, she reviewed Bella's changes to her blog.

Rosalie had become rather infamous amongst AJE Records' personnel as news of her outburst at Riley-B spread, but despite that, had endeared herself because of her organisation skills and grace. She was cool and calm when dealing with famous musicians and music industry bigwigs, and made sure that she knew enough about each of the label's artists via Google that she could have a decent conversation with them about their music if she had to. AJE Records was not that big a label, and by Friday, Rosalie's last scheduled day there, she had met everybody except Edward Cullen. And she hadn't bothered to Google him.

Thanks to Bella's reticence at discussing Edward, Rosalie had no idea that the Edward for whom her sister still pined was, in fact, Edward Cullen, famous music producer and co-founder of AJE. She had only seen him once, twelve years earlier, from behind, and had long since forgotten the face she'd seen in Bella's old photographs, so when Edward walked into the beverage area whilst she was stocking up the refrigerator, she had absolutely no idea who he was.

Edward was exhausted. The punishing schedule he had set for himself was taking his toll, and he felt in desperate need of a sugary Coke before facing the paperwork he had been putting off. Finding none in the mini-fridge in his office, he headed down to the reception beverage area to steal one from there.

He walked in to see the very attractive form of a tall blonde dressed in a simple knee-length shift dress, but in a bold orange colour. _Ah, this must be the temp receptionist every straight male in the building has been talking about. And I can see what all the fuss is about. Wow._

Rosalie, sensing the presence of someone behind her, turned around.

"Oh, hi. May I help you?"

Edward was stunned, not because she was beautiful- that was a given- but because in seeing her heart-shaped face, her large round eyes and the way she stood with one hand pressed against her abdomen, he was suddenly, acutely, painfully reminded of Bella. Any attraction he might have felt at seeing the blonde's figure withered and died.

"Err, I just came to get a Coke. I'm err... Edward. Edward Cullen."

"Oh!" Rosalie exclaimed in recognition of the name. "I'm..."

"Hey, Rose! Edward, what are you doing here?" Alice breezed in, happy it was the weekend and she and Jasper were getting some down-time after their hectic week.

"Just grabbing a Coke. Nice to meet you, Rose." Edward said before pulling a can out of the fridge and running back to the safety of his office. _It can't be... surely 'Rose' isn't Bella's sister Rosalie?_

"Did I offend him or something?" Rosalie asked, having observed his rabbit-in-the-headlights stance before running out. _Great looking guy, but weird. _

"Nah. It takes Edward a while to warm to new people and he's going through a particularly moody phase right now. He's the kindest, most generous, dedicated guy when you get to know him."

"Shame I won't get the chance." Rosalie reflected sadly. "I must say, Alice, I've had a great week here."

"Even though we've worked you to the bone all week?"

"I've really enjoyed my time here. I'm the first to admit that I know very little about the music industry apart from what my sister's told me, but I've found the things I've picked up really interesting."

"We've loved having you." Alice replied, wishing that they could keep Rosalie instead of the flighty Lauren. "I just came down to give you your signed timesheet and a bonus personally, and to say thanks for all your hard work."

"A bonus?"

"Just a couple of sets of tickets to any of our live studio recordings, and the schedule. Just come along if there's something you like the sound of." She handed Rosalie an envelope.

"That's really kind of you. I might bring my sister. She's really into music."

Rosalie sat down at the reception desk, reached under it to grab her handbag, and put the envelope inside. Just then her mobile phone started ringing.

_Bella_

"Oh, sorry, it's just my sister. I'll call her later."

Rosalie silenced the call.

"No problem." Alice felt in the mood to chat. She didn't have many female friends, and none outside the music industry. "By the way, I love your dress. Is it Diane Von Furstenberg?"

"Yes. You've got a great eye. It's a few years old though..."

"Ah, but DVF has such classic lines."

"True." They both laughed. "I have to say, I'm rather envious of your line of Herve Leger dresses, and that Proenza Schouler skirt you have on today is fab."

Rosalie's phone rang again.

_Bella _

"That's odd. My sister never usually rings me during work... she's looking after my twins..."

"It's OK, take the call."

"Thanks..." Rosalie answered Bella. "... hey, what's up?"

"_Rosie, I'm so sorry to disturb you at work, but it's George."_ Bella's tone was panicked.

"What? What's happened?"

"_He was playing on the climbing frame at school. He swung himself too far, and fell, hitting his head. And they think he's broken his arm!"_

"Oh no! My baby boy!"

"_We're on our way to Warwick Hospital. He's coming round but..."_

Rosalie looked at Alice, who was unashamedly eavesdropping, worriedly.

"Rose, go. Your son needs you."

"Thank you! Sis, I'll meet you at the hospital."

_"See you there!"_

Rosalie fished out her car keys and threw her handbag over her shoulder.

"Alice, I'm sorry to leave like this..."

Alice threw her arms around Rosalie.

"It's fine. Thank you so much for all your help and I hope we get to meet again soon."

"Me too."

Rosalie departed, and Alice sat down at the desk to turn off the computer and divert the calls to the assistants' office. Before she did, she saw that Rosalie was looking at a website, a blog.

_Pour Mon Ange: Bella Writes_

It was a very simply designed interface in dark blue, with a swirling drawing of an angel as a banner. Alice clicked on the first tab, labelled 'Poems' and then on the first poem, which was called _Running_*.

_Your words alone, they could drive me_

_To a thousand tears... tears... tears...  
All the same words, that kept me here, _

_Here for all the years... years... years_

_And I'm lost again, it's happening  
When you're around I just go weak  
All I want to know, is it mutual?  
Then I never want to leave  
I'm ready to run, ready to fall  
Think I'm ready to lose it all_

_Oh, would you hold my hand like, oh_

_The air was e'er so gently here?  
Oh, would you pull me close, so... _

_So nobody knows we're there?_

Alice was entranced. _This is what I'm talking about. This poem would make the most amazing song, ever. I need to track down this Bella._

-cc-

***As mentioned above, ****_Running _****is by Jessie Ware and I make absolutely no claim to it. Have a look and listen to her stuff on YouTube if you've got a minute. She is so unbelievably talented. More of her stuff will feature through the course of this story.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: Hi everybody! It was great to get so many reviews after the last chapter. I'm glad you liked it! **

**I'm still feeling rather happy about getting an Honourable Mention in the Taste of The Forbidden II contest for my story, The Fox. If you voted, thank you! Apologies for not replying to your reviews for either story this week. There do not appear to be enough hours in the day!**

**I'm posting two chapters tonight. The first is a flashback, set against the backdrop of what is probably the most memorable event in 21st century history. I've tried to make it as accurate as possible but apologise in advance if I got any details wrong. I wasn't there, although I still remember that awful day as if it were yesterday. The second comes back to 2012. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**CC xxx**

* * *

**Chapter Nine**

_September 2000: South of France. Work: Vegetable picking. _

_October 2000: Geneva. Work: Kitchen hand._

_December 2000: Berlin. Work: Barman and DJ_

_March 2001: Milan. Work: Model for Milan Fashion Week_

_April 2001: Rome, Naples and Puglia. Work: Olive picking. Wine making_

_May 2001: Crete. Work: Barman, pianist, DJ_

September 2001

It was at Edward's job in a bar in the holiday resort of Malia in Crete that he got an opportunity which he could not refuse. The busiest part of the season was coming to an end and the bar, which had been packed to the rafters for most of June, July and August, from midday to six am, was rather quiet on that Friday afternoon.

"Hey!" Edward looked up from his notepad where he was writing a composition to see a portly man with lank salt-and-pepper hair, in his 40s, who looked as red as a lobster, wearing a pair of slightly too tight bright pink and yellow swim shorts. "Ya speak English?" He asked in a rough New York accent.

"I _am_ English." Edward replied coolly.

"Great! D'ya think you could make me a Vesper Martini? It's..."

"I've got it." Edward replied, bristling slightly at the American's rather patronising tone. He pulled out the Tanqueray, Stoli and Lillet Blanc and expertly mixed the spirits before decanting the cocktail into a martini glass and spinning off a long, curly strip of lemon peel. "Here you are, _sir." _Edward said, trying to keep the snark out of his voice. "If you need anything I'll be at the piano."

Edward took his notepad over to the piano in the corner and started to put together the piece he had been writing. Occasionally he looked up to see the American looking at him with interest as he sipped his drink. Eventually, Edward tired of his own music and drifted into playing some Shostakovich.

When he brought the piece to an end, he noticed that the American was stood by the piano.

"You play real good! And this Vesper? Best I've had in years."

"Err, thank you."

"You live here, in Crete?"

"I'm just working here for a while. I'm kind of working my way round the world."

"Adventurous, are ya? Or running away?"

"Err..."

"I don't really care, kid. What I care about is money. I got a ton of it from my bars in Manhattan. You ever been to the US?"

"No. I've always wanted to go to New York." Edward replied, smiling a little. _I had this idea of proposing to Bella in Central Park. Idiot that I was._

"The name's Demetri. Demetri Volturi. Part Russian, part Italian, part Greek, all New Yorker. You want a job in the Big Apple? With your pretty boy looks, you'll have the Sex and the City wannabes creaming their designer panties. The fact that you can make a fucking great cocktail and play the piano is a cherry on top."

"Seriously?"

"Serious."

Edward thought about it for exactly thirty seconds.

"Yes please!"

A week later, Edward had packed up his things, said goodbye to his friends in Crete and spent some of his precious cash on the cheapest flight to New York he could get. Demetri met him at JFK and brought him to La Luna Nuova, one of his bars, a block from the World Trade Center. It was a little dingy and could do with a facelift, but it was busy with a regular crowd of after-work drinkers, as were all the bars that lined the streets of the Financial District.

Demetri showed him to the tiny studio apartment above La Luna Nuova. There was a single bed, a wet room and a small kitchenette. The wallpaper was peeling and it needed curtains. Edward didn't care. _I'm in New York!_

"It ain't much, but you can call it home until you can afford somewhere better."

"It's great, Demetri, thank you."

"OK, so I will need to sort out work permits and paperwork before you can come on board officially, so until then you're working for free, and I'm paying 'expenses,' OK?"

"Whatever you say, boss!"

Edward and Demetri sorted out details about wages, rent and working hours, and Demetri gave Edward the weekend to explore and settle in before his first shift on Monday evening. After a weekend of exploring, Edward had completely fallen for the buzz of the sprawling metropolis. The colours, the flavours, the sounds, the smells... he could feel his creative juices buzzing.

The only thing gnawing at Edward's happiness was the fact that a year after leaving England, he still missed Bella every single day. He imagined that her cheeks would glow red from the wind as they rode the Staten Island Ferry. He imagined that she would have a look of sheer delight on her face as she had her first bite of New York pizza, which, he had discovered, was delicious. He imagined her looking in wonder at the exhibits at the Guggenheim, stopping to truly absorb the pieces.

Then, he remembered that Bella had realised that she was too good for him, and was probably in the arms of some Daddy-approved Durham academic, having forgotten about him entirely.

-cc-

Of course, nothing could have been further from the truth where Bella was concerned.

She had gone to Durham, and threw herself into her studies. Renee and Charlie insisted that she come home every weekend for the first term. They wouldn't let her have her passport, so she couldn't have gone anywhere even if she'd tried. It was a moot point to her since the only place she wanted to be was with Edward, and she had no idea where he was.

That first term at Durham was the darkest time of Bella's life. She barely ate, she hardly slept and when she wasn't studying, she was writing huge volumes of angst-ridden poetry and prose, desperately trying to offload her pain onto paper before it overcame her. Her essays scored As, but when it came to living her life and moving on, Bella was failing miserably.

By the time Christmas rolled round, Bella was painfully thin. Charlie and Rosalie were desperately worried about her, and were concerned that she had developed anorexia nervosa. Bella hadn't- she didn't restrict her eating because she thought she was fat. She just could not be bothered to eat anymore because her sense of loss made the world tasteless and colourless. Renee was less than sympathetic, telling her to get over herself and to stop pining over 'that boy.'

When Bella collapsed a few weeks later, whilst in class in Durham, a local doctor recognised that Bella was suffering from clinical depression and prescribed a regime of antidepressants, psychotherapy and nutrient drinks. It had taken six months but by the time Bella started her second year at Durham, she was mostly recovered, although she still did not feel whole. She accepted that she probably never would, unless by some miracle Edward returned to her.

-cc-

Edward's first shift at La Luna Nuova on the evening of Monday September 10th was a touch baptism of fire and plenty of fun. As Demetri had predicted, the high-powered businesswomen of New York, virtually every single one, lapped up his English accent, his devastatingly handsome face and his slightly self-effacing charm. Edward made $300 in tips that night alone, and had a fistful of telephone numbers too. He crawled into bed at 2am, wired from the buzz of his new job, the money and the attention. _Coming to New York was the right thing to do._

So buzzed was he, that Edward couldn't sleep that night. By 7.30, he decided to get up and find some breakfast. On the block next to La Luna Nuova, there was an open bagel place, which he thought must be decent because of the queue of people out of the door waiting to be served. He got in line and waited his turn. Just before he was about to enter the store, he spotted a skinny homeless guy asleep under a dirty blanket and half a cardboard box just a few yards away.

_Man, I am so lucky that's not me. What a contrast. A line of suits getting their coffee and bagels from a shop with a homeless guy sleeping under its awnings. _

When it was finally Edward's turn, he ordered a coffee and a sesame bagel with cream cheese. Thinking of the homeless guy, he added,

"Actually, make it two of each please."

Edward placed the other bagel and a cup of coffee next to the homeless guy and turned to walk away.

"Thanks man." A Texan voice drawled. Edward turned back. "Real nice thing to get breakfast." A dirty ash-blond head peeked out from under the orange sleeping bag and two grey-blue eyes peered back at him.

"You're welcome. See you round."

The homeless guy sat up, smiled and took a sip of his coffee.

"You too, Edward."

"How did you know my name?" He asked, shocked. The guy shrugged.

"I didn't. I just call all English guys 'Edward'. Ya know, like Edward Rochester or King Edward the Eighth."

Edward couldn't help but think of Bella at the mention of Edward Rochester. _Jane Eyre_ was one of her favourite novels.

"Should I call you 'cowboy' then, because of your Texan accent? Or John Wayne?"

"Hell to the no! I ain't never been on a horse! First time I even touched one was in Central Park! Name's Jasper."

"Jasper?"

"My mama named me for her favourite pretty stone, red jasper."

"Err...OK..."

"Thanks again for this man. It's been a while since I ate something fresh."

"No problem."

Edward left Jasper to enjoy his breakfast and took his to Battery Park where he intended to people-watch and just chill out. It was a clear, crisp day, and as his buzz wore off, he sank into the grass and lay down on his back, watching the clouds in the sky. His eyes drifted closed and he thought of where he had been a year earlier, in Aix-en-Provence, picking vegetables by day in the French sun, but almost crying himself to sleep at night, craving Bella's touch.

He didn't do that anymore.

However, whenever a woman tried to come onto him, she was compared to Bella. And every single time, she couldn't compete. Edward had never had a proper girlfriend before Bella, and so keen was he to avoid being reminded of her that he dismissed any brunette woman or any who had brown eyes.

Whilst lying on the grass, Edward became aware of a low humming. It started to become irritating and he sat up, before realising it was coming from the sky. He looked up and around to see a very low flying aeroplane.

Edward stood up and like the other people in the park watched in horror as it crashed into one of the twin towers of the World Trade Center.

Time froze.

There was an eerie silence before someone started screaming. Then two people. Suddenly everyone was shouting and screaming. There were sirens. They were getting louder. Clouds of dust billowed out and floated down; everything started to go grey.

Edward, not really knowing by what instinct he was being controlled, started moving towards the horrific scene. He got to Wall Street, a block or two from La Luna Nuova, when a police officer crossed his path.

"Kid, you can't go down that road!"

"No, I have to! I live there!"

"It's not safe! We have no idea what's going on. It could be an accident. It could be terrorists. The whole building could blow up. You need to get as far away as possible!"

"But there's a guy, a homeless guy by the bagel shop..."

"We're doing a sweep to evacuate everybody from the area. Kid, you gotta vacate this zone immediately. Get as far away as you can."

Suddenly there was another shadow and another low humming. The sound made Edward tremble with fear. _Surely not? It can't be..._

"Holy fucking shit! There's another plane!" The police officer cried.

Edward, the police officer and all the other bystanders saw another massive low-flying aeroplane collide into the side of the second of the Twin Towers, accompanied by the sickening, gut-wrenching sound of crunching, collapsing metal and concrete, and Edward was sure he just heard the sound of two hundred people screaming and crying their last breaths.

"See what I mean, Kid. Get out of here. Help as many people as you can to do the same. Please!"

Edward nodded, wiped away the tears of fear and confusion that leaked from his face, and walked away. He noticed an old lady hobbling, trying to get away.

"Hi. Let me help you."

She replied in a long spiel of Spanish, her hoarse voice tinged with fear, before letting Edward take her arm. As he escorted her away from the chaos, something jagged made contact with his free arm, tearing at his skin painfully. It was a shard of glass falling from the catastrophically damaged Twin Tower. Edward ignored it and continued walking with the old lady.

Edward managed to help her six blocks north amongst the throngs of people also trying to flee, before someone started shouting back at them in Spanish from across the street. A middle-aged man, his lined face contorted with worry, was waving and made his way across the traffic.

The old lady gestured at Edward and her foot before talking to the man, again in rapid Spanish. Suddenly he found himself being embraced by the man. He didn't understand his words, other than,

"_Muchas gracias!"_

Edward waved them goodbye and kept heading north, this time into the Lower East Side, intending to get his arm cleaned up It wasn't a deep cut, but Edward knew from Esme that wounds needed to be cleaned properly. He would be able to do it himself if he could get some supplies. As he approached Houston Street, he was vaguely aware of his name being called.

"Edward! Hey! English Edward!"

He turned around to see a dirty, skinny, blond man staggering towards him, his shoulders covered by an orange sleeping bag. Jasper.

"Oh, God, are you OK?"

"Not really, man. My shoulder hurts." Jasper walked over to a bench in a nearby park and sat down. "Something fell on me. Woke me up."

Edward sat next to him and looked at his right shoulder It was coated with grey dust and drying blood. Underneath was a deep wound that would definitely need stitching. There was something about Jasper that endeared him greatly to Edward. He couldn't explain it, but Edward found himself caring about this homeless guy he'd just met as if he were Emmett or Esme.

"Shit! Jasper, you've got a ruddy great gash!"

"'Ruddy great gash!' Man, I love your accent!" He giggled.

"Why are you not screaming with pain right now?"

Jasper shrugged and giggled again. It was then that Edward noticed the glassy, slightly vacant look in Jasper's eyes, and the tiny pupils. _Fuck! What a time to be high! _

"Jasper, we need to get you some medical help!"

"You too! Your arm's red."

"Which way?"

"That-a-way!" Jasper pointed west. "Hold me up man. I don't feel so good!"

Jasper was looking rather unstable. Edward stood up and hauled Jasper to his feet too.

Suddenly they became aware of a rumbling and the atmosphere felt like it was shaking. Edward looked up to see, in the distance, the first tower of the World Trade Center shudder and crumble to the ground.

"Oh God..."

"All falls down..." Jasper whispered, gripping onto Edward's shoulder.

"No shit."

Edward spotted a small crowd of people and an ambulance also trying to head west. He gripped Jasper's arm and they followed. Around ten minutes later, they were in front of an old hospital which was busy with both walking wounded and more seriously injured people.

A middle aged Afro-Caribbean lady in a nurse's uniform was barking directions at people and holding a clipboard. Edward headed towards her.

"Name. Injury?"

"Edward Cullen. I've cut my forearm. But I'm not so much of a problem. It's my friend. Jasper... Jasper, what's your surname?"

"Whitlock."

"Jasper Whitlock. Some debris or something fell on his shoulder. He's got a very nasty wound." She scribbled something on two blue tickets and gave them to Edward.

"Your friend's high." She stated matter-of-factly. "Are you?"

"No, ma'am."

"Good. Take him to area C, down the corridor and to the left, and we'll see him as soon as possible, but I gotta warn ya, it'll be hours."

Edward did as he was told, and found himself in a waiting area with around a hundred other walking wounded.

"Looks like we're going to be here a while."

"Okay." Jasper sat down and promptly fell asleep.

Edward looked around at the hospital staff rushing round, trying to tend to the ash-covered injured, all the while also receiving those with more serious injuries arriving on trolleys. He left Area C and found a cart stocked with bandages. He helped himself to some supplies and found a bathroom where he cleaned up his wound and wrapped it in a gauze bandage. He then went back to Area C with a sterile wipe and bandage for Jasper, to keep it even a little clean until a doctor could stitch him up. He then waited. After an hour of feeling redundant while Jasper snored in the corner, Edward got up and stopped the nurse he'd seen earlier and gave back his blue ticket.

"I can see you're really busy. I've cleaned up my own wound and my friend's comfortable waiting. Please, is there any way I can help? Anything at all?"

"Honey, we need all the help we can get. See that pile of charts over there with red tickets? Them's all the people in the trauma bays. The real sick ones. See that computer?" Edward nodded. "Use the database and the phone book to find their emergency contacts. Call them and tell them their relative's here. If after five minutes of trying you can't get hold of anybody for a patient, mark that on the chart and move on. Come find me when you're done, or when you're heading home."

"Got it."

Edward got to work. He never did finish because the charts kept piling up as more and more people came in. After six hours, two coffees and three Twinkies each, Jasper was finally seen and treated.

"I'm done, man. I need to get outta here. I don't like hospitals. Come on, I'll take you back to your place."

"OK, thanks." Edward replied, relieved because he actually had no idea where in Manhattan he was. He marked the last chart he was working on and headed outside with Jasper, but not before stopping to find the nurse from earlier.

"Hello. My friend and I are done so..."

"Aww, thanks for helping, honey."

"No big deal." Edward shrugged. "All I did was make a few phone calls." The nurse placed a chubby hand on his arm.

"Honey, to those relatives who now know where their loved one is, it's a real big deal. Peace of mind? It's priceless. You may not have run into burning buildings, but you made a huge difference today. You're bold. You got a kind heart. I bet, through all o' this, you didn't once think to pick up the phone and call your own family in Eng-uh-land, did ya?"

"No..."

"Go inside and call them. I'll watch your crazy friend."

Edward ran back inside and picked up the phone before dialling Emmett's mobile number. It went to voicemail.

"Hey Em, it's me. I'm still in New York, and I'm OK. Covered in grey shit, but OK. If you've got no idea why I'm calling you, check out the news. Love you, big Bro. I'll catch up with you soon."

Once he hung up, Edward ran back outside and left the hospital with Jasper.

-cc-

Bella was preparing to leave Warwickshire to start her second year at Durham when September 11th happened. She was packing her things in her room whilst listening to the radio when she heard the reports for the first time. She turned on the TV not long afterwards, and spent the rest of the day glued, watching the events unfold.

Her parents came home and went out again, only stopping momentarily to look at the TV, leaving Bella alone. Bella flicked between news channels to get some different perspectives, all the while composing poetry in her mind about the tragedies. Just as she was about to turn off the TV and write down the words swirling in her mind, an image on the screen captured her attention.

"_And now we have exclusive footage of the scenes in downtown Manhattan at the moment of impact when the second plane hit the Twin Towers..."_

Bella wasn't listening. Her eyes were drawn to the sight of a tall, lean man with unruly copper hair, talking to a police officer, both slowly getting covered in ash, when both suddenly looked up as a shadow passed above them. They both wore similar looks of horror as the footage ended.

"No!" Bella cried. "Edward!"

She desperately flicked between the channels again, hoping to spot the footage again. Eventually she did. _It's definitely him. Is he OK? He has to be OK! _

Through a film of tears, Bella grabbed for her car keys and her handbag and impulsively set off for Leamington Spa.

Thirty minutes later she was banging on the door of the apartment Emmett and Edward used to share.

"All right! All right! I'm coming! Where's the fire!" An unfamiliar male voice called. The door opened to a greasy- skinned Japanese guy wearing a Star Wars t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms. "Oh, hello..." he said, trying and failing to sound seductive.

"I'm looking for Emmett? Emmett Cullen? He lived here..." Her tone was frantic.

"Em's out for the night saying bye to friends. He's moving to London next week to start his barrister training. I could tell him you stopped by, or you could wait with me...?"

"Where did he go? Please, it's an emergency!" Tears started to fall from Bella's eyes again.

"I'm his flatmate, baby, not his keeper. So either wait, or go."

"Err..."

"Bella?" Emmett called from behind her as he was walking up the path towards his front door.

"Emmett!" Bella rushed towards him. "I'm so sorry to bother you but... but... I saw him. On TV. On the news. He was there. Right in the middle of it... "

"He's OK, Bella. I just got a voicemail from him. He's alive and unhurt."

"Thank God!" she cried, rubbing her face. _I couldn't have lived in a world where he didn't exist._

"Dude? What's going on?"

"Sod off, Toshi. I'll tell you later."

"Anyone would think you still loved him..." Emmett murmured, uncertain whether he wanted her to hear him or not.

Bella looked up sharply.

"What?" Emmett didn't answer. "Of course I still love him! I never stopped!"

"Funny way of showing it! You... you fucking well broke his heart! He cried all the way to the airport!"

"I never broke up with him! I just couldn't go away with him!"

"Why not?"

"I..." Bella was too ashamed to tell him what had happened, that her mother had made her choose between her family and Edward. "Look, I can't talk about it. It still hurts too much. I just had to make sure he was OK. I'd better go."

"Bella..."

"I really need to go. I wasn't supposed to go out. Please, if you can, please tell him that I love him and that I'm sorry. I'll always be sorry."

She turned and ran back to her car, relieved he was alive, but reeling at the cracks in her heart that just would not heal.

Emmett watched Bella leave, not really feeling any the wiser about the break-up of her relationship with his brother. He debated whether or not to tell Edward that she had come round and that she claimed to still be in love with him. The intensity of their bond was something he just could not comprehend. Deep, all-consuming, soul-searing love. He didn't get it. Not at all. What he did get was that it had reduced each of them into pathetic messes. Bella looked like a shell of herself, skinny and miserable. Edward, despite a year of travelling, still didn't seem to have found any joie de vivre.

_If that's love, they're better off without it. And so am I. _

-cc-

It took Edward an hour to get downtown with Jasper, but when they got to three blocks away, a police cordon stopped them from getting closer to home.

"No, look, I live there! My apartment..." Edward begged a police officer.

"Where, exactly?"

"Above a bar called La Luna Nuova on..."

"La Luna Nuova's gone, kid! It's buried under the first Twin Tower! Along with about a thousand people and several of New York's finest officers and firefighters. I'm sorry."

Before Edward could say anything else, the police officer was called away. Edward sat down on the side of the road and put his head in his hands.

"What am I going to do? All my things, my passport..." _My picture of Bella. _"Where am I going to stay tonight?" The stress of the day had finally got to him; hot tears started to mix with the grey dust on his face to form more sticky mess on his face. Edward was no coward or weakling, but he had no idea how to survive on the streets.

Jasper sat down next to Edward and put an arm around his shoulder before pulling out a mangled but clean tissue from his pocket and wiping his face.

"Don't worry about that, Edward. Everything's going to be OK."

"How? My whole new life was at La Luna Nuova and now it's gone. And I'm not ready to go back home, to go back to..." ..._a life without Bella. _

Jasper let Edward sob for a few minutes.

"Edward, man, after the way you looked after me today, I promise, I will look after you. I know this city. I know I'm a homeless junkie, but that's because it's easier to be a homeless junkie than trying to maintain a home and my habit. And I'm not in a place to stop using right now. The bad shit in my head comes back if I do. I'll bore you with that story another day. Look, I'll find you somewhere to stay, for both of us."

"Err... on the streets?" Jasper clocked Edward's shocked face and smiled slightly.

"Relax. I just stayed by the bagel shop last night because I couldn't be bothered to go to uptown to the homeless hostel when I was buzzing. I'll take you there if we can't find someplace better... hey Edward, look!" Jasper pointed to a middle aged woman in a navy uniform, and just a light dusting of ash.

"What?"

"Salvation Army lady! Salvation Army lady!"

"So...?" Jasper grabbed Edward by the arm and started following her. "Hey!"

"Salvation Army people mean food. And man, I really could eat!"

Jasper was right. Within five minutes, they were in front of a mass of catering vans, surrounded by police officers, fire fighters, EMTs, and regular people, all eating soup and sandwiches. Jasper and Edward found a coordinator, and he gave them some food before he directed them to an emergency shelter in a local high school.

The camaraderie in the shelter made also Edward feel better. He wasn't religious, but he wasn't against the idea of a higher power, and found comfort in the prayers, the hymns and songs sung by the others at the shelter with him and Jasper.

"Jasper?" Edward whispered in the darkness just as they were about to sleep.

"Yeah?"

"Thank you. For the morale boost. For finding us somewhere to stay. I wouldn't have known where to start."

"You're welcome, my friend. Least I could do."

The next morning, Edward got up with a renewed sense of energy and motivation. He nudged Jasper next to him.

"Jasper?"

"Need to sleep, man."

"We need to find food, and I need to find out about my apartment."

"Not hungry. You go." He slurred.

Edward peered over. Jasper had the same glassy look in his eyes that he did the previous morning.

"Jasper, are you high?"

"I needed it, man. I was rattling."

"Where did you even find some...?"

"I know a guy near here... you go ahead, Edward. Bring me a muffin or something if you can." With that, Jasper turned over and fell asleep again.

Edward sighed and headed out. He really wanted a shower, a shave and a change of clothes, but his priority was trying to retrieve his stuff and perhaps find a way to get in contact with Demetri. He headed towards Ground Zero, as the site of the devastation was now being called.

It was in the morning light, once the dust had mostly settled and the adrenaline had worn off, that Edward could fully appreciate the extent of the wreck and ruin. His eyes watered as he took in the mountains of rubble and steel, a lone American flag waving in the breeze at the top. Thousands of people, like ants or worker bees, were walking towards Ground Zero, determined to help. And in that time, so was Edward.

Over the next week, Edward developed a routine. He and Jasper would stay in the shelter overnight. Edward would go help out at Ground Zero, working in tandem with other volunteers to clear the debris and rubble, and bring Jasper breakfast in the middle of the day. Then he would return to Ground Zero to help until it got dark, and by the time he returned to the shelter, Jasper would be awake and they would go to the Salvation Army camp to get dinner.

They helped each other. Jasper gave Edward hope and protected him from the unsavoury characters who might try to take advantage of Edward's youth and inexperience. In return, Edward looked after Jasper while he was high and helped him keep his wound clean.

Jasper trusted Edward enough to tell Edward about his difficult childhood, moving from place to place with his mother to avoid his abusive, drunk father, only to end up in foster care at age eleven when his mother died, where his foster father beat him with a belt and kept him hungry as punishment for being disobedient, when he never was. Jasper was kicked out when he was eighteen and turned to petty crime to survive. He became hooked on heroin thanks to his ex-girlfriend Maria, and he followed her to New York. She kept him stringing along for a few months, acting as his dealer and encouraging him to steal to fund his habit. However, she dumped him and kicked him out after taking up with a well-known local drug lord, leaving him on the streets.

Edward told Jasper about his dreams of becoming a musician, DJ and producer, of how he felt a little out-of-step with his lawyer brother and doctor sister because he didn't feel the same pull to academia, and how he was supposed to be travelling with his girlfriend, but that she had decided last minute that she couldn't be with him. He never said her name. Just thinking of her name was painful, let alone saying 'Bella' out loud.

-cc-

A week after the horrific events of September 11th, Edward was in the queue to pick up breakfast and was talking to a couple of the volunteers when somebody tapped him on the shoulder.

"Edward?!"

"Demetri!"

"You're alive! I thought you'd been crushed! Thank God!" Demetri hugged Edward tightly.

"No, I went out for breakfast early that day. If I hadn't... I'd be under there by now."

"Thank the Lord! Where have you been staying?"

Edward explained about Jasper and staying at the shelter.

"Well, you don't need to worry about staying there tonight. I'm gonna take you back to my place in Brooklyn, get you some clothes and you're gonna stay with us until we sort something else out, OK? You can have a job at one of my other bars."

"OK, but what about Jasper?"

"Edward, I don't mind you staying. You're a good kid. Hard-working. Trustworthy. Clever. I knew that the minute I saw you. But I ain't takin' in no homeless tramp off the street. I don't care how good he's been."

"He probably wouldn't want to stay anyway, but I need to at least find him to say bye. He's been so good to me. Would you mind if we stopped by the shelter? It's on the way to the Brooklyn Bridge."

"Sure."

Edward and Demetri walked the ten or so blocks to the shelter to find Jasper, but he was nowhere to be found.

"Excuse me, have you seen a blond guy, a couple of years older than me, carrying an orange sleeping bag?" Edward asked a janitor.

"Oh him? He's long gone, kid. One of his junkie pals came along and he went with him. Guys like that, they never stick around for long."

Edward nodded, a sense of loss rippling through him. He had no way of contacting Jasper at all. He just hoped that one day, their paths would cross again, and that Jasper would be ready to let go of the drugs.

-cc-


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: The second chapter for today, and it is another long one. I hope you're comfy. Many of you have made predictions about this part of the storyline from the way the previous chapter was set up. I hope you're not disappointed! Thank you for reading. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. I have, once again, borrowed some lyrics from the fantastic Jessie Ware. ****_Night Light _****belongs to her, not me. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**CC xxx**

* * *

**Chapter Ten**

June 2012

Alice's hunt for _Bella Writes_ was not going too well. The blog's contact page was 'undergoing maintenance'. The 'about me' page simply said 'Bella: I write. I bake. I remember.' Alice couldn't even work out where the writer was based, other than she was English. From the counter at the bottom, it didn't look like it was very well read, and there were no links to Twitter or Facebook. _This blog needs some serious promotion. _

Alice had spent most of Friday night reading the blog. She loved every single poem and short story listed, and had found herself obsessed in a serial called "Arden's Delights' about the tumultuous lives of a group of young men and women in a small fictional town in Elizabethan England. It was only three chapters in, but Alice was hooked. Jasper was intrigued. There was very little in the world that could capture his wife's attention for such a long time. He asked her what she was doing several times but Alice wasn't quite ready to share.

Edward, meanwhile, was in a strange, rather capricious mood. Alice's words from earlier in the week echoed in his mind. '_Not everyone's a machine like you, you know.'_ He considered going back to London for the weekend, but at the same time, felt empty at the thought of doing so. He would be going back to a stark, cold Chelsea apartment; instead of being surrounded by music and friends, he would be surrounded by the networkers and the wannabes. He was adjusting to the space and quieter pace of life in Warwickshire. There were even times when he was so involved in work that he almost forgot Bella was nearby, until meeting the temp receptionist, Rose, who reminded him so much of Bella, had sent his anxiety levels into orbit.

He picked up his mobile phone.

"_Baby Bro! You're alive! To what do I owe the honour of your call?"_

"Yeah, sorry Em, I've just been wrapped up in the studio and stuff. What are you up to?"

"_Work. What else?"_

"Making headway in that pile of cases?"

"_Yeah, some more than others." _Emmett replied, annoyed that he kept hitting brick walls when it came to the case of Royce King, although there were other cases that were coming along nicely.

"Cool. Look, do you think you could drag yourself away to hang out?"

"_Can you?"_

"Yeah, yeah, I've been workaholic too, I know. What do you think?"

"_I think I could make time for my little bro! Especially since it's your birthday soon!"_

"Don't remind me. Thirty-one. Wow."

"_Pfft. Still young! Tomorrow?"_

"Great. Got any suggestions?"

"_Why don't we go into Birmingham and head to the IMAX? Prometheus looks good. Maybe go for Chinese and a few beers after?" _Emmett had another idea_. "Look, why don't we invite Carlisle too? I spoke to Esme yesterday and he's free but she's teaching some junior doctors on some course. She's going to be out all day. Oh, and she said she'd love it if we'd go for lunch on Sunday. We've been bad brothers recently. We should go."_

"Sounds great. We don't hang out enough with Carlisle enough."

Edward swallowed his guilt at avoiding his sister and brother-in-law because of their house. _It's ridiculous, if you think about it. And I'm not doing it anymore. If my paths cross with Bella, so be it. I'm over her. I'm over her. I am definitely over her. _

"And yeah Em, we should go for lunch on Sunday. Text me when you decide the details, OK? I'll probably get the train into Birmingham if we're drinking."

"_Me too. Text you later, Bro!"_

"Bye Em!"

Edward felt immediately better.

-cc-

Rosalie was still in a rather sour mood about leaving The Elizabeth Studios the following morning, Saturday, when she dropped Bella at Stratford Station. Bella was catching the train into Birmingham to meet their twenty-one year old cousin, Jessica, or 'Little Miss Me-Me-Me,' as Rosalie and Bella called her. She was coming into town to see the last of Riley-B's concerts at the National Indoor Arena, in the heart of the city, and had begged Bella to meet her for coffee. Bella had eventually relented.

"You know you're a masochist, right? You should know the drill by now, Bellsie," admonished Rosalie. "Always have an excuse ready. 'Sorry Jessica, I can't make it, my best friend's dog's being put down. Sorry Jessica, I've broken my ribs. Sorry Jessica, I'm leaving for Outer Mongolia tomorrow...' she would have believed any of them."

"I know! I just wasn't quick enough. She says she really wants my help with something, but wouldn't say what. Only that it doesn't involve shopping. "

"Well, just meet her for coffee and come back. Tell her you've got to work in the evening."

"Yeah. I wonder what she wants my help with."

"Knowing Jess, it's something ridiculous, like whether she should get hair extensions."

"Probably."

An hour later Bella was at The Mailbox, a collection of designer shops, gourmet restaurants and cafes overlooking the canal. Jessica was waiting for her on the steps. She was the only daughter of Bella and Rosalie's younger paternal aunt, Cora, and had grown up in the quiet town of Basingstoke, some 100 miles south of Birmingham, where her parents ran a successful printing company. She was petite, unnaturally blonde and unnaturally curvaceous, having gotten a boob job as an eighteenth birthday present. She was the apple of her father's eye, and as a result got away with pretty much anything she wanted. She was flighty and impulsive and had changed her mind about her career several times.

"OMG Bella! It's so good to see you!" She squealed, throwing her arms around Bella. She was dressed in a leather mini-skirt, lace blouse and denim jacket, just a bit too fashionable.

"Hi Jess. How are you?"

"I'm, like, so great!"

"Good." Bella replied, already feeling overwhelmed by her exuberant cousin. "Where are your friends?"

"Oh, they're shopping on New Street. I'll catch them up later."

"Shall we go get coffee?"

"Sure." Jessica and Bella headed into the building and found a coffee shop with tables by the canalside.

"So..." Bella began once they'd ordered their drinks. "...what's this thing you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, yeah, so my friend Zack was reading NME a couple of weeks ago and he showed me this!" Jessica pulled out a copy of New Musical Express from her Louis Vuitton handbag. "Look."

Bella took the paper from her cousin. Circled in red was an advertisement.

_AJE Records are looking for new talent! Are you interested in the music industry? Want to learn about production at Europe's largest independent urban and dance music label? Apply for our internship programme! We have a place for an enthusiastic candidate keen to pursue a career in this exciting field. The successful candidate must have a good knowledge of basic processes in music production and be committed to hard work, but otherwise, experience is not necessary. Please note, candidates must be prepared to relocate to AJE Records' new premises in Warwickshire. To apply, please contact Michael Newton..._

"Wow."

"I know!"

"So, you're going to apply?"

"I already did! And I've got an interview next week! Can you believe it? If I get this job, I'll be working at Riley-B's label! How cool is that?"

"That's great, Jess." Bella said, not feeling the sentiment. _Little Miss Me-Me-Me on my doorstep?! And working for Edward? Shit. _"So, what's that got to do with me?"

"Well, I might have exaggerated slightly on my application form about my knowledge of music production, and I thought to myself, who do I know that knows loads about music and stuff, and none of my friends were much help, and Mummy and Daddy are like, so uncool, they wouldn't know, and I got bored of Googling stuff..." Bella's head started to throb. _Get to the point!_

"And you thought of me? I'm flattered," Bella said drily. Jessica missed the sarcasm in her cousin's voice.

"Yep! So, tell me everything you know!"

"Look, that might take a while..."

"Please! I really want this job!" Bella sighed.

"Fine. But I'm no expert, OK?" _I'm such a soft touch. I'll tell her what I know but hopefully she won't get the job. There must be a thousand applicants for that job. What are the chances she'll get it?_

"Yay! Thank you!"

-cc-

Two hours later, Jessica had gone to meet her friends and Bella headed back to the station. She had treated herself to a new novel she'd wanted to read for ages, David Nicholl's _One Day. _Whilst waiting for her train on the platform, she sat down on a bench, stroked the orange and white cover for a moment, revelling in its newness, before starting to read. She quickly became engrossed in the novel and looked up just in time to see that the train she was supposed to catch was departing. _Oh well, I'll just have to wait for the next one._ She texted Rosalie to let her know she was going to be late and went back to reading her new book.

Edward stepped off the 1pm train from Henley-in-Arden to Birmingham with Carlisle, who had got on at Stratford.

"I'm just going to the loo. You OK to wait here a minute?" Carlisle said, pointing at the gents' toilets.

"Sure."

Edward pulled out his phone and was checking his email, when something made him glance across the train tracks to the other platform.

He stopped dead.

_It can't be. _

It was.

On the other platform, long dark hair blowing lightly in the wind, was Bella. She was sat on a bench, reading a bright orange and white book, dressed in dark blue jeans tucked into knee-high flat brown boots and a plain black t-shirt, with a fitted, very battered-looking brown leather jacket over her shoulders. She was smiling slightly at something in the book.

_Fuck. She looks almost the same. A bit thinner, maybe. And she doesn't even look twelve years older. Same long legs, same stunning face, those gentle curves... holy, fucking, shitting hell._

"Bella!" Bella turned to see a short but good-looking blond guy striding towards her. She grinned and stood up to greet the guy with a big hug.

Jealousy coursed through Edward and he found himself tugging at his hair in his anxiety. _She didn't want you. She didn't want you._ He tried to look away but he couldn't quite bring himself to do so.

A train pulled in, blocking Bella and the blond guy from his view.

"Everything OK, Edward?" Carlisle spoke from behind him.

"What? Oh, yeah. Let's go find Emmett."

He and Carlisle started walking away, but Edward couldn't resist one look back, and could just see Bella and the blond guy sitting down in a carriage. _You have no business being jealous. It's not worth it. _She'_s not worth it._

Bella had been oblivious to her former lover's presence just yards away and completely involved in her new novel, so much so that she almost missed someone calling her name.

"Bella!" She looked up and grinned at the sight of Ben, Angela's husband, walking towards her.

"Hey!" The two friends hugged.

Angela and Ben had met in their first week of university, and shared a love of photography and art. They were both shy when it came to the opposite sex, and both felt self-conscious about their height (Angela was four inches taller than Ben) but once they got together, they became inseparable. Bella had been their maid of honour at their wedding almost exactly five years earlier, and counted Ben as one of her closest friends.

The train arrived then and they both jumped on.

"What brought you into Birmingham, B?" Ben asked as they sat down.

"Coffee with my cousin. She's in town to see Riley-B in concert. You?"

"Anniversary present. I bought her a bracelet from the Jewellery Quarter."

"Oh that sounds lovely!"

Bella and Ben spent the rest of the journey catching up. By the time they parted ways at Stratford-upon-Avon station, Bella was in a much better mood.

-cc-

By the time Edward, Emmett and Carlisle came out of the IMAX, Edward had calmed down after seeing Bella. _Prometheus_ had distracted him somewhat, and by the time they were holed up in one of the many Chinese banquet restaurants in Chinatown, working their way through piles of food and bottles of beer, he was really rather relaxed. In fact, the three Cullen men were so relaxed that time ran away with them, and by the time they got to the train station at 10.30pm, they had missed the last train home.

"Damn, how are we gonna get home?" Edward thought out loud. "I guess we could stay and party in Birmingham until the first train at 6..."

"Nah, we're not dressed for partying." Emmett argued.

"I'm way too old for that. And Esme will kill us all if we're not on form for lunch tomorrow. She is so excited that you're coming." Carlisle added.

"OK, let's not annoy her, especially now she's carrying our niece or nephew." Edward decided. "Let's just get a taxi."

"Why don't you two just crash at our house tonight? Obviously we've got room, and it would make Esme's day to have you two there for breakfast and lunch. We can have a few more drinks, maybe have a game of pool or two?" Carlisle suggested.

"Let's do it." Emmett said.

"Yeah, OK," Edward eventually agreed. _I guess I've got to get over my thing about Riverview Place sometime._

This time, prepared for the onslaught of memories and emotions, Edward was able to settle into Riverview Place and enjoy the rest of the night with his brothers. When it came to sleeping arrangements, Emmett tactfully took the room that had been Bella's, whilst Edward settled into what had been the Swans' original spare room, overlooking the expansive driveway.

_This was a good decision. I'm lucky to have such a great family and I won't keep my distance anymore. Riverview Place is the Cullen family home now._

_-cc-_

On Monday morning, Alice and Jasper walked into The Elizabeth Studios reception area hand-in-hand, only to find the front desk empty. They walked round and into the offices, where the assistants were in their large shared office.

"Where's Lauren this morning?" Alice asked, annoyed.

"She's got car trouble. She said she has to wait for her dad to come fix it."

"Mmm..." Jasper mumbled sceptically. Lauren had managed to be late three times in her first week, and had gone home early once with a migraine. Then of course, she had been sick the whole of the previous week. "Where's Edward?"

"Right here," Edward replied, following them in with a tray of coffee mugs. "Sorry, it's instant. We've run out of coffee beans for the espresso machines."

Alice was not impressed.

"No way. I don't do fake coffee!"

Mike muttered something to himself.

"What was that?" Alice asked.

"Nothing... I just reminded Lauren about a hundred times to do the drinks orders." Mike said quietly. "Rosalie put in the order when she realised but it's not going to get here until tomorrow."

"Alice, I think we're going to have to let Lauren go. She's unreliable, she's forgetful, she's not actually very friendly..." Edward began.

"Now, now, maybe she's just tryin' to find her feet." Jasper replied, trying to give her the benefit of the doubt. "Eric, go pick her up and tell her that we'll make sure she gets home at the end of her shift."

"I'll come with you. I need real coffee," Alice told him.

"There's a Starbucks in Stratford, where she lives."

"That'll do."

Half an hour later, having drunk a tall half-caff, extra hot soy caramel macchiato, Alice knocked on the door of Lauren's house. There was a car in the driveway, but no sign that it was being worked on. No answer.

"Is this the right address?" Alice checked.

"Definitely, Boss." Eric replied.

They knocked again. No answer. They waited for a couple of minutes and were about to get back in the car when they heard Lauren's nasally voice.

"...yeah I was so wasted. I'm only just getting home... wait, what, tomorrow at 3? No I'll make it... just tell work I've got a migraine or some shit like that... they believed it last time..."

Lauren stopped in her tracks as she saw Alice and Eric on her doorstep, Alice glaring at her.

"...don't worry, honey, you'll definitely be free tomorrow at 3. You're free right now because you are FIRED!"

"Wait, what, you can't fire me! I...you... you're supposed to give me two weeks' notice!" Lauren screeched.

"For behaviour reflecting badly on the company, I can fire you with immediate effect. We'll send you your last paycheque."

Alice and Eric slid into the company Mercedes and drove away leaving their former receptionist screeching like a banshee on her own doorstep.

"Want me to see if I can get that temp back, Rosalie?"

"Yes definitely! Tell them that I'll offer the same rate and the agency a bonus if they pull her off whatever job she's doing this week."

"You're gonna try to keep her, aren't you?"

"Damn straight I am."

Eric turned the Mercedes round a corner and into a leafy street.

"Eric, speak of the devil... isn't that Rosalie there?"

Rosalie was waving goodbye to Gemma and George outside the gates of their school when she heard the beep of a car horn. She looked round to see Alice waving at her from the passenger seat of a black Mercedes saloon.

"Rose? Is that you? It is!"

"Hi Alice, how are you? What are you doing here?"

"Long story! You live nearby?"

"It's about fifteen minutes' walk."

"If Eric and I give you a ride, could you spare ten minutes? I really gotta talk to you about something!"

Rosalie thought about it for a moment. _It's not like I've got anything better to do this week._

"Sure... I warn you though, our house isn't in the best state..."

"Don't worry about that. Hop in!"

A couple of minutes later, Eric parked the Mercedes outside Rosalie and Bella's small terraced house.

Alice and Eric followed Rosalie in and took a seat at the kitchen table, currently piled high with the twins' clothes and Bella's books.

"Sorry, I did say it was messy... can I get you a drink?" Eric and Alice declined.

"It's OK, we just had Starbucks."

"All right then. What can I do for you?"

"Look, we just had to let our regular receptionist go and I'd like to offer you the job. What do you think?"

"I would love it..." Alice began to clap and squeal, "...but..."

"No! No 'but'!"

"Alice... one of the reasons for working for the agency was its flexibility. My sister helps out a lot but I couldn't commit to 8am til 6pm every day, especially during school holidays."

"Well, we can talk about that. Perhaps negotiate that you start at 8 and finish at 6 when it's going to be busy, but otherwise do 9 to 4, and give you a hand finding childcare for the holidays?"

"That could work. And the money?"

"We'll offer you double your average wage from the agency, and all AJE Records staff benefits like pension, paid annual leave, healthcare, gym access..."

"Rosalie, please say yes!" Eric echoed.

"Yes!" Alice jumped up and down before hugging Rosalie warmly. "Can I start tomorrow? I have to take my kids to the dentist this afternoon."

"Of course!"

"Excellent!" Eric agreed. "Boss, sorry, but you have a meeting to get back for. Rosalie, see you tomorrow morning at 8? I'll let HR know we've recruited you so they can bring through paperwork, contracts, all that stuff, OK?"

"Definitely."

-cc-

Bella woke up to the sound of the front door slamming. She groggily sat up and opened one eye enough to look at the alarm clock. 9.05am. She had done the late shift at the pub the night before. She turned over and tried to go back to sleep but the sound of Tina Turner's 'Simply the Best' started blaring from upstairs.

_Rosalie's good mood song? Interesting. Haven't heard that for a while. _

Intrigued, she got out of bed and headed upstairs to see her sister, normally elegant and serious, rocking out, jumping up and down and squealing.

"Woohoo!"

"Rosie?"

"Bellsie, sorry for waking you but guess what...?"

"You won the lottery?"

"No, better! I've got a permanent job at AJE Records! More money, full time but flexible hours, benefits..."

"That's fab!" Bella hugged her sister, feeling a sense of inevitability wash over her.

_One day soon, I am going to meet Edward again. It seems that everything is fated towards us meeting again. I can feel it. I just have to accept it as an inevitable event, just like I have to accept that I am no longer in his heart._

"When do you start?"

"Tomorrow. Can you pick the kids up from school?"

"Yes. Not a problem. I'm not working for the next three nights, thank God. Last night nearly broke me. Those guys go nuts for Quiz night. I ended up covered in beer."

"What are you doing with the free time? Writing?"

"Yeah, I seem to be making real headway with the creative writing blog now that I've invested some time and energy into it."

"I had a look on Friday, I forgot to tell you. It's looking great. I like that angel drawing against the dark blue."

"That was Angela's idea. She drew it for me a while back," Bella told her. "Did you read any of the content?"

"Some. I was going to read 'Arden's Delights' this afternoon, but I have read the poems you just put on there. I adore _Running._"

"Thanks." _Yet another Edward-inspired poem._

"Seeing as we're both at a loose end, maybe we could finally work on promotion?"

"That would be great, Sis."

Rosalie and Bella worked hard on Bella's blog for the rest of the day until it was time to pick Gemma and George up. In celebration of Rosalie's new job, they took the kids out for pizza, a rare treat which made their day.

-cc-

The next morning, bright and early at 7.50am, while Bella looked after the kids and got them to school, Rosalie coolly walked into AJE Records and sat at the front desk. By the time Alice and Jasper walked in at 8.15, she had already welcomed the drinks delivery, filled up the coffee machine, logged into the computer system and acquainted herself with the day's diary.

"Oh, you're here! Yay!" Alice squealed.

"You just about made my darlin's day yesterday, Rosalie. Welcome to the family!" Jasper said, shaking her hand. "Before the day really gets going, shall we get a hold of our HR girl and sort out all the paperwork?"

The rest of Rosalie's day was a whirlwind of meetings, protocols and briefings, but she was delighted. Everyone was very friendly, except Edward Cullen, who wasn't rude, but just distant. Rosalie didn't really give it another thought. She didn't really care about people being friendly with her so long as they weren't bitchy or pervy.

After seeing Rosalie in the morning, Alice had been caught up in meetings and phone calls all day so didn't manage to talk to her again until Rosalie was shutting down the front desk computer for the day.

"Hi Rose, how was your first day as an AJE employee?"

"Great, thanks. Lots of paperwork, but at least it's out of the way. How was yours?"

"Not so great." Alice pouted. "Edward and I are desperately trying to find a lyricist so we can write tracks for our new artist and so far... nothing, nada!"

"How frustrating! Does the artist not write her own stuff?"

"No, she's only nineteen and she's got an amazing voice but she's not a writer. Sometimes we buy songs from other songwriters, but Edward's written some amazing music for Bree and he doesn't want to let it go, yet he doesn't do lyrics. We did have a lyricist on board but his lyrics weren't good enough."

"It's a shame you don't have one on staff."

"Yeah, it was a mistake not to hire one before. But I was going to ask you, last week, I saw that you were reading a blog? _Bella Writes? _That Bella sure writes a good poem or two and some would make great tracks. I was wondering if you knew a way to get in touch with her. The blog didn't have any contact details."

"It does now. We updated it yesterday. It's my sister's blog. She's a freelance writer, mainly features articles for local magazines and websites and she has a website for that side of her work, but _Bella Writes _is her creative outlet."

"OMG! For real?" Alice squealed. "She's your sister? Do ya think she'd come in for a meeting?"

"I don't know... Bella's a great writer and actually she's quite a music aficionado, but she... she gets overwhelmed easily. She's been quite shy about getting her creative stuff out there so she's not done much with it, but I've been trying to get her to do more promo." Rosalie thought on her feet. _This could be a great opportunity for Bella. _"If you don't mind coming round to my hellhole of a house, maybe you could come round for pudding and a cuppa tonight. Bella's making strawberry shortcake."

"Your house isn't a hellhole! One day, talk to Jasper about hellholes!" Alice commented, thinking about her husband's ascent to success with awe and pride. "But 'pudding and a cuppa'..." Alice mimicked Rosalie's crisp accent, "...sounds awesome."

-cc-

Bella was reading her niece and nephew a bedtime story when there was a knock at the door, and the sounds of her sister greeting someone. Rosalie had mentioned that she'd invited a new friend from work for tea and some of the strawberry shortcake Bella had made earlier. Once the twins were fast asleep, Bella kissed them goodnight and made her way downstairs.

At the kitchen table was perhaps the most fashionable person Bella had ever seen, and when she turned round to the sound of Bella's footsteps, Bella promptly fell down in shock as she recognised her striking elfin features and raven hair.

"Aww, shit! Are you OK?" Alice got up and rushed over to Bella. "That fall looked real painful!"

"Uh, I'm fine. Happens a lot," Bella replied, picking herself up off the floor.

"Oh. OK! I'm Alice by the way!"

"I know. Alice Brandon-Whitlock! It's an honour to meet you. I'm a huge fan of AJE Records' work."

"Really? Bella nodded.

"Tea, Bellsie?"

"Yes please."

"So, Bella, you're a writer?"

"Yes." Bella replied meekly, feeling embarrassed at her lack of success in the face of one of the most influential women in urban music. "I do features work for local and niche market magazines mainly."

"That's cool."

"It's OK. Sometimes it's interesting. Sometimes it's really rather boring."

"Rose actually showed me some of your creative writing."

"She did?" Bella felt her face grow hot and she glanced at her sister.

"Yeah, uh, it came up in conversation." Rosalie tried to sound nonchalant. She knew she had to tread carefully.

"You're real talented, Bella. I love your poetry."

"Thanks." Bella mumbled. "Look, I'll just uh, leave you to it." Bella picked up the tea Rosalie had just put down in front of her and stood up.

"Bella wait!" Alice cried. Bella stopped in her tracks. "Look, I meant it. Your poems are so beautiful! One of the reasons I'm here is to ask if you'd consider working with us, writing lyrics for tracks for our artists, and perhaps adapting your existing poems?"

"W-work with you? At AJE Records?"

"Yeah..." Alice softened her voice. "You've probably heard of my business partner Edward Cullen? He writes the most amazing music. Between your words and his notes, I think you guys could write the most amazing tracks..."

"Thank you Alice, but I can't. I'm sorry."

"Bellsie... come on! It's..."

"I'm sorry," Bella repeated. She walked off and headed downstairs to her basement hidey-hole.

Alice and Rosalie watched her run away.

"Well, shit. That didn't go the way I planned."

"Sorry. She's so damn sensitive. Especially recently. It's like she's always on edge, worrying about something. She never talks about it. She doesn't talk about anything really."

"Yeah, I know what that's like," Alice murmured, thinking of Edward, whose behaviour had been similar. "You weren't kidding when you said she spooked easily. Has she always been like that?"

"Yeah, and a few things have happened that made it worse, but I won't bore you with the Swan Family Fuck-ups!"

"'Swan?' I thought your surname was 'King.'"

"'King' is my married name, and 'Swan' is my maiden name. I only keep it because I couldn't be bothered to change all the paperwork back after my fucker of a husband left, and I didn't want to have a different surname to my children."

Alice suddenly recalled a conversation from a few months earlier, at Riverview Place.

"_...I've met his daughter a couple of times. She's a lovely girl about your age called Isabella and she works as a freelance writer here in Stratford. We've swapped numbers and I'm going to ask her to meet for coffee next week..." Esme had said. _

_Edward spluttered on a mouthful of Esme's yummy soup. _

"_Edward? Are you OK?" Emmett had checked, full of brotherly concern. _

"_Err..."_

"_Do you know Isabella?" Carlisle had asked._

"_Um..." Edward stumbled over his answer. Alice thought it odd because Edward was usually quite articulate. _

"_Wasn't Isabella Swan your, uh, project partner in your Media Studies class?" _

"_Yeah... actually, I, um, really don't feel so well..." _

_Edward then suddenly got up and ran off to the bathroom._

Realisation dawned upon Alice.

_Bella was the girl who broke Edward's heart. The one to whom he hardly ever referred. The one whose name he could never bring himself to say. She's the reason for the string of shallow-minded loud-mouthed blondes he's dated. He was trying to escape one deep-thinking, timid brunette. No wonder she ran as fast as she could when I said Edward's name. And Rosalie clearly doesn't know who Edward is. Otherwise she'd have recognised him when they met. _

The quickness of Alice's mind meant that she'd hardly lost her focus from the conversation she was having with Rosalie.

"Now that sounds like a story!"

While Rosalie filled Alice in about Royce upstairs, Bella was sat on the edge of her bed, head between her legs, trying to calm down. Alice's words echoed in her mind, over and over again. '_You've probably heard of my business partner Edward Cullen? He writes the most amazing music. Between your words and his notes, I think you guys could write the most amazing tracks...'_

All Bella could think about was that she and Edward had written together before.

_**Flashback- March 2000**_

On a cold early spring Sunday morning, Bella woke up early, so early that the sky outside was still inky-black. The only light in the room came from a waxing moon and a small plug-in lion night light that Edward had had since he was a baby. She had spent the night at Edward's, having told her parents that she was staying at Angela's house, and they had spent most of the night kissing, touching and eventually making love all over the small apartment, making the most of Emmett being away in London.

Edward was still fast asleep, making small, satisfied snores, his long coppery lashes fluttering slightly against his pale skin. Bella sat up. She couldn't help but brush an unruly lock of hair from his smooth forehead and caress him there. He turned slightly, draped an arm over her thighs and nuzzled his nose against the soft skin where her thigh met her hip. She suddenly felt overwhelmed with warmth. She felt safe. She felt protected. And most of all perhaps, she felt forever connected to him, as if their souls were bound together. Bella smiled to herself and, almost unconsciously, reached for the notepad and pen on the bedside table. She never went anywhere without one.

_Here in the dark, it's funny _

_How I never feel alone. Do you?  
Here in the shadows, away from the light  
This darkness under which we hide.  
Like a ghost I cannot see  
You're the shadow behind me._

The first stanza came naturally, but then Bella got stuck a little. She glanced around the room for a moment until her eyes landed on the lion night light. She adored it. Edward always kept it in the socket but rarely turned it on, yet Bella always did when she was over.

_You'll be my night light, there when I go to sleep  
You'll be my night light, baby when I dream.  
Under the moonlight, shining on the sea,  
You'll be my night light, watching over me._

Bella felt her eyes drooping. She put the notepad down and slid down the bed until her head was on the pillow and Edward's arm was nestling just under her breasts.

"Mmm... Bella..." Edward mumbled.

Bella turned onto her side and Edward's arm tightened around her. She drifted back into slumber, and dreams of him.

When she woke up again, it was to the sound of Edward humming and the feel of his long fingers gently twisting and stroking strands of her hair. While she was sleeping, the sun had risen and small sunbeams decorated Edward's room.

"Morning, love."

"Hey. What time is it?"

"Around 9. Hey, were you up in the night?"

"Yeah, for a little while. Why?"

Edward reached for Bella's notepad.

"I spotted this." Edward ran his thumb over the words she'd just written. "This poem... Bella... it's... wow...!"

"Thank you." Bella's cheeks burned at the compliment.

"Still my shy girl? You won't let me praise you even a little bit? Even though I've touched almost every single part of you, kissed you..." He wriggled down so their faces were level and cupped hers in his hands. "...made love to you?"

"I don't think I'll ever be the kind of person who can take compliments easily, even from you, _mon ange."_

"But I know I did something right because you spoke French to me," Edward grinned.

"Yeah," she whispered.

"Seriously though, love, this poem... I think it could make a right good track."

"You think you could write music for the words?"

"I already am." Edward hummed the tune he had been humming when she woke up. "See? What do you think?"

"Perfect... I can hear it coming together in my mind."

Edward kissed her lightly and then sat up again. Bella followed suit, crawling into his arms and snuggling her back against his chest. When comfortable she picked up her notebook and with Edward humming the notes in her ear, felt inspiration hit.

It took them less than thirty minutes to put the track together, with words and notes melting together on a page.

"I can't believe how good it sounds!" Edward cried as he played _Night Light _on the guitar. "The words, love, they're so hypnotic. So dreamy! I can't wait to see how it sounds when I spin it on the decks and add a couple of layers to it."

"You need a better singer than me to do it justice though."

"You have a lovely voice, Bella."

"You know it's nothing special, Edward."

Edward had learnt that if there was one thing that made Bella more uncomfortable than compliments and praise, it was false praise. Bella could carry a tune but she didn't have a voice that sent shivers down one's spine.

"Maybe singing isn't your forte. But writing is. And one day, my love, we'll come across a singer who will electrify our song, make it set the world on fire."

**End flashback.**

Bella shivered as the words to _Night Light _rolled through her mind. As humble as she was, she knew that the song was outstanding. Edward had the completed song, but as far as she was aware, he had never released it or done anything with it. She still had the notebook with the words she'd originally written, and a copy on her computer, but could never bring herself to publish it on her blog or anywhere else.

_It was a great poem. And it made a great track, even in rough form with my pathetic voice singing. I was good at it. Wasn't I? I was. Maybe, if we could put our past behind us, we could be a good songwriting team... 'Audaces fortuna iuvat.' 'Fortune favours the bold.' Our family motto. One I've never lived up to before..._

Alice and Rosalie stopped mid-conversation to stare at Bella when she returned.

"Alice?"

"Bella?"

"I'm sorry about before. I just... it's just... it doesn't matter. Have a look at these with E-Edward C-Cullen..." Bella handed Alice a USB memory stick, "If he likes what he reads and wants to meet with me, then I would be interested, but only if he is sure he can work with me."

Bella promptly scurried back down to her basement.

-cc-

******AN: Yes, I've borrowed another Jessie Ware track. I am a bit obsessed with her album, ****_Devotion,_**** right now. **


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: Hi everybody. Thank you so much for your reviews after the last two chapters, especially with regards to how I wrote about 9/11. Some of you shared your memories of that awful day- it seems that it affected all of us in some way or another. **

**I'm posting two chapters again today, but because next weekend's Easter and I'm working long shifts, there's a good chance I won't be able to post, so it may be two weeks after this. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. **

**Part of my youth was misspent in clubs and dancehalls, but I am in no way, shape or form an expert on urban or dance music production, or music in general, so I've done my research via the internet. Apologies for any mistakes. **

**This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Eleven**

January 2002

"Edward! Hey, Edward!" A shrill voice broke Edward's concentration.

He was sitting in one of the booths, balancing the books of Eclissi, Demetri's bar in Greenwich Village, where he was bar manager, one afternoon mid-week. Demetri had promoted him within a month of starting when Edward's ideas for improving the bar, promoting the place and adding live entertainment had increased profits by 50%.

Edward looked up. It was his favourite customer, closest friend and flatmate in New York, a little bundle of energy called Alice Brandon. She was in her final year at NYU, having skipped two grades in high school, and was enrolled in the Music Business Program. She lived on Bleecker Street, a few doors down from Eclissi, in a two-bedroom third-floor walk-up, which her parents, both very wealthy dentists in Long Island, had bought for her. Edward had first met her when she came into the bar, asking to put up a notice to advertise her spare room. Edward had taken one look at the reasonable price and location, and asked if he could look round himself. Fifteen minutes and the discovery of a mutual love of music and music production later, Edward was moving out of Demetri's spare room in Brooklyn and Alice had herself a new best friend.

"Alice! Hey, how are you?" Edward got up from the booth to welcome her. She collided into him and threw his arms around his neck.

"I did it! I got an A on my presentation!"

"I knew you'd do it! Well done!" Edward replied once she let go of him. "What can I get you to celebrate? Cosmopolitan? Lemon Drop?"

"Ooh, Lemon Drop, please!"

"Coming right up." Edward scooted behind the bar and started mixing.

"How's your day?"

"Nothing special. Delivery this morning, accounts this afternoon, but I'm nearly done with those."

"Great! Could you have a play around with my latest?" Alice pulled out a CD. "And talk me through it so I can sound smart at my Modern Production Methods class?"

"Sure!" Edward was always happy to work his magic on Alice's voice. Whilst not the most technically superior, she had a distinctive tone, and had a good enough range that she could competently sing most of the compositions Edward wrote, when he wanted to test them out. She wasn't interested in a career on the stage however; Alice was much more interested in nurturing others' talents and had interned at two big record labels already.

Once he'd made her Lemon Drop and poured a Sprite for himself, he set up his shiny new laptop computer and hooked it up to his decks. Alice had recorded herself singing an acappella version of The Calling's _Wherever You Will Go. _Edward made the tempo faster before adding a complicated electronic synthesised rhythm and mixing it with a steady beat, all the while talking Alice through it patiently.

"Oh, that's amazing!" Alice squealed when they were done. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. "Oh, sorry, lipstick!" She wiped his cheek with her thumb. Anyone looking at them might think they were an item, but Edward and Alice had never ever felt even the slightest attraction to each other. Instead they had fallen into a comfortable brother/sister relationship; Alice sometimes reminded him of Esme as both were warm-hearted, exuberant and fiercely intelligent.

"Would you mind if I borrowed it, actually? I want to add it to my set for tomorrow night."

"Sure. Where are you DJ-ing tomorrow? Anywhere me and my girls would like?"

"Sullivan Room." Edward replied, a little smugly. It was one of the best clubs in NYC and happened to be only a block from their apartment. Not to mention it was Alice's favourite, when she could get in past the massive nightly queues.

"OMG are you serious! Can you get us in?"

Edward produced four wristbands from his back pocket.

"V. I. P." He enunciated it slowly.

Alice squealed so loudly that the bottles behind the bar started to shake.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I've got to get on the phone! Talk to the girls! Plan out my outfit! Get my hair done!" She chattered excitedly. "See you later?"

"Yep!" She blew him a kiss and whirled out of the door.

-cc-

The next night, Edward whipped up the crowd at the Sullivan Room into a dance frenzy, including Alice and her friends. The club was particularly heaving as nobody wanted to leave the dance floor; Edward himself charmed the clubbers with his handsome looks and lean physique, and by the end of the night, his mobile phone was full of girls' phone numbers. Blondes only, though. He still could not bring himself to accept the numbers of any girl that reminded him of Bella in any way. He decided against going home with any of them however. He was too riled up from the buzz and wanted to talk to Alice about how he had done.

Once his set was over and Alice had said goodbye to her friends, he and Alice exited through the back door of the club to avoid the crowds trying to leave through the front. "Thanks. So..."

"So...?"

"How was it?"

"Edward, it was so cool! You were, like, the BOMB!" Alice enthused. She was pleasantly tipsy and had had a fantastic night with her friends. They'd hardly left the dancefloor, and the wristbands Edward had got them had meant that they got access to free drinks in the VIP lounge. "Thanks so much!"

"I'm hoping they'll offer me a regular slot- monthly or fortnightly even."

"They'd be stupid not to!"

"God, I hope so..." They were at the entrance to their walk-up and as Alice opened the door, Edward happened to look right, to the doorway of the clothing store next door. A figure was asleep under an orange sleeping bag. "...No... it can't be..."

"What 'can't be'?" Alice asked. Edward didn't reply and instead walked over. "Edward!" She hissed with fear. "What are you doing?"

Edward slowly peeled back the top of the sleeping bag. As he suspected, he was greeted by the dirty blond hair of Jasper, who looked fast asleep.

"Alice, this is Jasper. You know, the homeless guy I told you about? The one who looked after me during 9/11."

"You looked after him too, by the sounds of things." Alice tottered over in her silver Jimmy Choos and peered over. "Whoa, he does not look well."

She was right. Jasper was shivering, sweaty and pale. He looked a lot thinner than Edward remembered.

"Jasper? Wake up." Edward shook him gently. He didn't wake up. "Shit, is he breathing?" He stuck his hand under Jasper's nose.

"Is he?"

"Yes, but only just."

"We should call 911." Alice said.

"Yeah." Edward pulled out his mobile phone and called. "God, I hope he's going to be OK."

-cc-

When Jasper woke up, it was in a clean bed, in a stark white room. He couldn't hear anything but a faint beeping and he couldn't see any of his stuff. He touched his face. It was clean-shaven. He touched his hair. It was the same length but it felt dry and clean.

_What the fuck? Where am I?_

He sat up suddenly in a panic.

"Whoa, it's OK, Jasper. It's OK," A high-pitched musical voice told him from the corner of the room. He blinked a few times which was hard as his eyelids felt like they were stuck to his eyeballs. A dark haired female vision was coming towards him. When she was at the bedside, he finally managed to focus on Alice, who had been sitting in the corner, reading _Vogue. _

_Oh, God, she's beautiful. I do declare, the most beautiful girl I have ever seen._

_I'm in heaven, right? She's an angel?_

"When did I go?"

"Sorry?"

"Why am I in heaven? I'm a junkie. I don't deserve it."

"Jasper, you're not dead!" The angel laughed lightly. "You were sick. Edward and I found you and we brought you to the hospital."

"I'm not dead? You're not an angel?"

"Well, I am when I want to be!" She replied cheekily. "My name is Alice. I'm Edward's roommate." She placed her small hand in his and squeezed. Jasper felt warmth and a rush of energy run up his arm, better than ever high he'd ever had.

"Edward?" Jasper had to think for a moment. "English Edward?"

"Yup."

"He saved me again?"

"Yup."

Jasper gestured to the room.

"How? He's not rich. How did he pay for all this?"

"Edward's not a poor kid fresh off the plane anymore. He's got a good job managing a bar in the Village and makes a killing as a DJ on the side. He has connections now."

"I'm not rattling. I'm not cold turkey. Why?"

"The doctors gave you some meds."

Jasper suddenly became aware that had a tube in his neck attached to fluids and another in his armpit, the latter draining cloudy, red-tinged fluid into a plastic bottle. He was attached to lots of wires.

"What was wrong with me? What's with all the tubes?"

"You had abscesses under your arm from where you injected. Bugs got into your bloodstream and made you real sick. They had to cut the abscess open and clear it out, and then they put the tube in to drain it. The tube in your neck is for fluids, meds and nutrients."

"Where's Edward?"

"At work. He'll be here real soon."

"Why are you here? I don't mean to sound rude but surely you got better things to do than hang around with the likes o' me?"

Alice shrugged.

"I brought you some clothes, and cleaned the ones you had with you. Plus, you mean a lot to Edward, and he means a lot to me so..."

Jasper felt a wave of disappointment. _Of course, she's Edward's girl. _

"Right. Well, thanks."

"Why don't I go get you something to eat?"

"I don't know..." It had been a long time since Jasper had had an appetite for anything but drugs.

"Why don't I get you a cup of noodle soup and some Snapple?"

"Sure. Thank you."

"No problem. Oh look, Edward's here."

Edward walked in and was delighted to see that his friend was awake.

"Jasper!" Edward kissed Alice on the cheek as she left and then slid into the chair by the bedside. "How are you feeling?"

_Jealous as hell. Grateful as fuck. I want to hug you, and I want to kill you and run off with your girl._

"Weird. You saved me again?"

"I called 911, that's all."

"But you've paid my medical bills? That's..."

"Jasper, I didn't."

"Then how..."

"I have a couple of friends who are doctors. They're regulars in the bar where I work and I called in a favour or two. They registered you with a new medical clinic which is charity-funded, and has money set aside for emergencies. That's what's paying for your medical care."

"Please tell them thank you."

"You can thank them yourself. They'll be here later to talk to you about your options after you get released. They're called Peter and Charlotte."

"Options?"

"OK, look, they're going to talk to you about rehab. Which is something I _will_ be paying for."

"Edward, I can't let you do that!" Jasper cried. "I want to get clean, but I need to do it for myself."

"Jasper, this is your best opportunity. You've been off the junk for three days now. You said that there's more to it than just stopping using, right? Well, this way, you can go from the hospital to rehab and sort out all the stuff to do with your parents and your ex-girlfriend in your head, and they'll also help you get back into work."

"I just can't let you blow your savings on rehab for me."

"It's my choice. When you get a job, you can pay me back if you insist, but I'm not taking no for an answer."

Jasper considered it. He wanted so much for life to be easy. He had been good at instilling hope in Edward during the dark times of 9/11, but he was so wasted that he didn't have to consider the dark places in his own mind. The nightmares, the fear of being alone- they all went away when he was high. But as he became aware of the way drugs had ravaged his body, he realised that he couldn't hide any longer.

He looked at Edward, who was a long way away from the scared kid he'd met four months earlier. He was smartly dressed, happier, thriving.

_I could have that. Who knows, maybe, just maybe, I might be able to get my own Alice. Someone who can prove to me that love can exist without causing pain and destruction._

"Will you and Alice be here when your doctor friends come? Please?"

"Of course we will."

-cc-

After a long discussion that evening with Peter and Charlotte, Jasper agreed to rehab in a facility in rural Connecticut for three months once he was discharged. Peter and Charlotte recommended a program that would restore his physical strength through nutrition and exercise, help him with inner peace and focus through yoga, as well as help him work out the issues that had caused him to turn to drugs in the first place. Edward and Alice promised that they would visit as soon as they were allowed, and Alice insisted that Jasper stay with them when he was out.

Alice was intrigued by Jasper. She had been shocked to discover that under the dirt and the beard was a very handsome man, whose blue-grey eyes seemed to be burned into her brain. But she knew from what Edward had told her that he was damaged, broken and needed to heal. She didn't want to seem too pushy or overwhelming (she was aware that some people found her just too much), but something about him drew her to him and she found herself struggling to keep her distance. While he was still in the hospital, she visited at least once a day, and she usually came on Edward's visits too.

Jasper's heart soared every time Alice came to see him, and crashed whenever she left. He adored her enthusiasm and lust for life. He loved the way her violet-blue eyes danced when she played him a track that she liked and talked about the artist or the production. He was fascinated with her bold wardrobe choices, her lack of fear over bright colours and patterns, and especially the way her clothes clung and emphasised every detail of her petite, elfin figure. He was shocked to find himself sexually aroused in a way he had never felt before, not even with Maria.

The day before he was due to leave for Connecticut, Jasper went for a short walk, having gotten sick of his room, and on his return, saw Edward talking to one of the nurses at the nurses' desk- a pretty but rather obvious blonde one called Melissa. To his shock and surprise, he saw them exchange numbers, and everything about Edward's stance suggested he was flirting.

"Oh, hey! Did you have a good walk?" Edward said when he realised Jasper was back.

"It was fine." Jasper climbed back into bed.

"Are you OK?"

"Fine."

"Jasper, 'fine' is what Alice says when she's all hormonal. Seriously, what's up?"

"Man, why are you scoring the digits of that slutty nurse?"

"Err... because she's a slutty nurse? She all but said she was a sure thing."

"What about Alice?"

"What about her...oh? Did you think Alice and I were together?"

"You're not?"

"No! Alice is like the twin sister I never had. I love her to bits and yeah, she's lovely but no! No way!" Edward laughed.

"Oh, right. Sorry."

"No, it's OK. I guess it's an easy misapprehension to make. Jasper, I'm ready to move on now, from that girl I was telling you about, the one from home? But I'm a one-girl-at-a-time kind of guy, even if it's casual."

"Good, well I'd say 'good luck' with that nurse, but I don't think you need it!"

"No, she's been all over me! Alice spotted it straight away of course, but it takes me a little while to build up to these things."

"She's pretty great." Jasper said.

Edward smiled to himself. The mutual attraction between Alice and Jasper was pretty obvious, and Alice hadn't stopped talking about Jasper at all since they'd met. He wondered if Alice's parents would care that their daughter was falling for a homeless man with a heroin problem, but then, Alice only ever listened to her own instincts. She would never begin to consider anyone else's opinion unless she was uncertain of her own. _If only Bella had cared only about her feelings for me, and not my status or wealth, we might still be together... no Edward. Let it go. Slutty blonde nurses, that's the way forward. _

"Yep. Anyway, I just came over to say hi and to tell you that Alice is borrowing her mother's car so we'll be here in the morning to take you to Connecticut."

"Great, thanks."

Jasper fell asleep that night with a smile on his face, hope coursing through his veins. _I'm going to get through rehab, and then I'm going to show Alice that I can be worthy of her._

-cc-

Jasper had expected rehab to be a cold, sterile place. He couldn't have been more wrong. The Meyer Centre was a large converted white house set in several acres of countryside, against the backdrop of the Berkshire Mountains. Sunlight flooded each room through floor-to-ceiling windows. Jasper had his own room, still a novelty to him. The food was all vegetarian, and residents were encouraged to help in the kitchen to prepare the meals. There was a daily routine which started with wake-up at 6am and yoga at 7am, and ended with meditation and letter-writing at 9pm, with lights out at 10pm. There was no television, which was no bother to Jasper, but music was allowed, and Alice had made sure that he had a radio and CD player because she couldn't imagine spending any length of time without music.

For the first month, there were no visitors allowed. Instead, Jasper wrote letters to Edward and Alice, and was shocked at how freeing it was to allow his thoughts out and onto paper. He also wrote to his violent father, to his dead mother, to his foster father and to Maria, but he didn't send those. Instead, he burnt them in the fire, letting go of the burden of the bad memories they caused.

Alice always wrote back within a day or two, and occasionally sent him things such as clothes or toiletries. She also sent him CDs of Edward's music, and occasionally her own singing. Alice missed him terribly, and even had a calendar under her bed where she marked off the days until she could see him again. Edward wrote back too, but he wasn't a natural communicator and it took him longer.

By the time the first visit rolled around, Alice was so excited that she made Edward drive. Edward didn't mind. He knew, both from Jasper's letters to him and Alice's joy at receiving her own, that they were well on the way to falling for each other, hard. They were both shocked, however, when they laid eyes on him for the first time at The Meyer Centre.

Jasper was no longer skinny, shuffling and damaged. The month of clean living had done wonders for him. He had filled out and put weight and muscle on. His skin was clear and bright; his eyes sparkled. He had the air of someone who had found some purpose, who was comfortable in his own skin and who was far less burdened by demons past.

"Hey guys!" Jasper rushed to greet them as they walked into the parlour. "It's so good to see you!" He hugged them both, but lingered when he hugged Alice, and brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

"Holy fuck! Jasper, you look great!" Edward exclaimed. "Wow!"

"You look amazing," Alice agreed, uncharacteristically quiet, because she had no idea how to deal with the pure lust that ripped through her and then left her floating on a cloud of some emotion that could be love. _Jasper Whitlock, you will be mine. I will be yours. _

"Thanks!" He gestured to a sofa and armchair, and they all sat down. "I can't believe how much better I feel."

They spent some time talking about his therapy and about yoga. Jasper had embraced vegetarianism after correspondence from Edward and whilst at The Meyer Centre, and considered himself converted. He talked about his sessions with the educational psychologist, and excitedly told Edward and Alice about rediscovering his love of mathematics and business studies.

"It just makes sense to me. There are no shades of grey with numbers. It either is, or it isn't. So I'm hoping that I'll be able to take some courses at community college whilst working, and maybe become an accountant or something. It sounds boring, but it's a sensible career choice and it's right for me."

"That's great, Jasper," Edward enthused. "You could always work in Eclissi and fit shifts around night school."

"Oh, that's real nice of you, but I think I'm gonna need to avoid being around alcohol. I know me. It starts with a drink o' beer, and next thing you know, I'll be shootin' up again."

"Well, we'll help you find something suitable." Alice said.

"Thanks. So what's up with you guys? Alice, how are things at college?"

"Frustrating." She replied. "I got offered a job at EMI Records for when I graduate, and it's a great opportunity, but something inside is telling me to think twice. I think it's because I don't know if I can do the whole 'work for a global conglomerate' thing. When I interned there, I got real annoyed with having to report to my boss every five minutes and the A&R department not taking a chance on the more alternative artists."

"Could you do somethin' different in the industry?" Jasper suggested.

"A&R is what I want to do, but I want to be able to follow an artist from discovery to market as well, and have a say in production. That wouldn't happen at EMI. As a scout, I'd find them and then wouldn't have anything to do with them after they hit the market."

"Why don't you set up your own label?" Jasper suggested.

"I'd love that, but how? I couldn't do it by myself. I wouldn't know where to start."

"Alice, it's actually a great idea," Edward agreed, realising that Jasper's simple suggestion had huge potential. "We could set up our own business. You find the acts, I produce the tracks."

"Yeah, but..."

"All you need is a little capital to get up and running, and I think I know how you could generate that..." Jasper started looking around. "Shit, I need pen and paper. Don't go anywhere." He jumped up and grabbed a notepad and a pen from a collection on a sideboard.

"OK. Edward, what's the most popular track of yours from your DJ set list right now?"

"At the moment it's probably the version of _Wherever You Will Go_ I produced for Alice. Gets everyone on the dance floor immediately."

"You sent me that, and yeah, it's fucking awesome. So, my idea is that you release that track. Get it airplay, get other DJs playing it, sell it, really go all out on promoting it. Then, you plough the profits into setting up the label. Find another singer, and Alice will probably know a few from college, do something similar, release another track, build up your reputation..."

Jasper quickly wrote up his idea in diagram form on the paper, and added some projected numbers. Within ten minutes, he'd written them up a business plan.

"Edward, you'd have to keep your job at Eclissi for now, and Alice, there may come a time when you might have to remortgage your apartment, but it's doable."

"Alice, this is a great idea!" Edward enthused. "You could be head of A&R nominally, but also have your hand into production. Jasper could manage the money. We could specialise in urban and dance music..."

Alice looked between her two favourite men in her life.

"I love it!" She squealed. "Jasper Whitlock, you're a genius!"

She promptly launched herself into his lap and hugged him fiercely, her arms around his neck. Then she did something rather unexpected. She curled her legs around him and pressed her lips to his for a whisper of a kiss.

"Well, uh, little lady, it's easy to be a genius when you have such, uh, wonderful inspiration." Jasper replied hoarsely, relishing the feel of her lithe body around his. Alice smiled and kissed him again. He glanced over Alice's shoulder to Edward, who was chuckling warmly, and clapping.

Jasper felt his entire being relax.

_I think this must be what home feels like. _

-cc-

* * *

**AN: Please read on! There's another chapter! **


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: The second chapter for today and one I'm particularly keen to hear your opinions on! Enjoy!**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**-cc-**

**Chapter Twelve**

June 2012

Alice didn't get the chance to ask Edward about Bella's poems for over a week because the next day he was on a plane to Los Angeles to meet with Nicki Minaj and her team. He didn't return until just in time for the internship programme interviews, which happened to fall on his birthday, 20th June. She didn't tell Jasper about her revelation. She decided that she would show Edward Bella's words, and then tell him who had written them.

Rosalie drove Jessica to The Elizabeth Studios for her interview rather begrudgingly. Jess had invited herself to stay the night before when she realised the proximity of the studios to Stratford-upon-Avon. Bella had been working at The Stag and so Rosalie had had to put up with Jessica all of the previous evening by herself until Bella got home. Rosalie was happy for her cousin to get such an opportunity, but like Bella, found her annoying and self-centred.

"Oh wow, can you believe it, I might get to work here!" Jessica gushed. "It's so cool! OMG!"

"Yeah, good luck." Rosalie replied.

When she got to work, Rosalie showed Jessica into the waiting area assigned to the interviewees, gave her a coffee, a muffin and a magazine (for there was at least a couple more hours until her interview) and then left the reception area to set up for the interviews in the conference room.

Edward walked in a few minutes later, and was about to head to his office when he heard a tinkling female laugh from the closed-off seating area. He peered in and saw a petite young woman in her early twenties, dressed to impress in a tight black scoop-necked dress and cropped white jacket, with red jewellery. She had thick, curly platinum blonde hair, held off her face by a thin black band, and her tight dress emphasised an appealing cleavage.

"...God, I'm so excited! Can you believe it? I'm in AJE Records! AJE!" She chattered away, oblivious to his presence. "...no, no... I'm even more excited than when we upped and ran off to Ibiza that time... I know, right!"

Edward found her enthusiasm rather infectious. She was loud, confident and perhaps a little impulsive. She seemed like fun. _Even if we don't end up hiring her, perhaps I should get her number. She might be just what I need. _

-cc-

It didn't particularly occur to Jessica to be nervous about her interview. She wanted the job because it would be exciting and super-cool, but if she didn't get it, she'd just go back to Basingstoke and try something else. She didn't particularly need the money, as she her daddy got whatever she needed, and if it wasn't him, there was usually some guy willing to sort her out. Therefore, it was with confidence that she strode in.

Most of the questions were pretty straight forward. Jessica wasn't stupid. She had listened and absorbed the tips that Bella had given her, and done the reading that she had recommended, so when she was asked about current music trends and for her opinions on AJE artists, she was clued-up and gave sensible answers.

Jasper was about to bring her interview to a close when Edward decided to ask one last question.

"Miss Stanley, what was the last crazy, wild, impulsive thing you did?" Jessica raised an eyebrow, smirking lightly. "Sometimes we need a tiebreak question." He added by way of explanation.

"Well," Jessica began, leaning forward, liking the way the corner of Edward's smile lifted slightly. "_..._it's slightly embarrassing..."

"We won't judge you." Edward replied, bringing out the full wattage of his crooked smile.

"Um, I kissed Colin Farrell. We talked our way into the VIP room at the Buddha Bar in London. You probably know it? Well anyway, I spotted him and I just walked up to him and kissed him full on the mouth."

"Interesting." Edward leaned forward in his seat. "And why would you do something like that?" He asked, lowering his voice slightly.

Jessica lowered the tone of hers too.

"Why? Well, a, hello! He's Colin Farrell! Hot! And b, so that I have a story to tell people when they ask me about the last crazy, wild, impulsive thing I did, of course." Jessica grinned and fluttered her lashes at Edward subtly, although not subtle enough to evade the notice of Alice and Jasper.

"Well, Miss Stanley, thank you for your time." Jasper decided it was time to interrupt. "We'll let you know in a couple of days."

"Great! Nice to meet you all!" Jessica leaned across the table to shake everyone's hands, but her hand lingered slightly longer in Edward's. With a sway in her hips as she walked, she slowly exited the room.

Edward got up to pour himself another coffee and it was only when he sat back down that he noticed Jasper and Alice glaring at him in disapproval.

"What?" He asked.

"That girl might be our intern soon and you're flirting with her like she's some chick in a bar?!" Alice squeaked.

"You were real obvious, man. She's a good candidate for the internship, which is meant to jumpstart her career in the music industry, not your sex life."

"For fucks' sake, guys! Lighten up and let it go. It was just a couple of questions."

"It's a bigger deal than you're making out, for sure. It felt, I dunno, real deliberate. Like you _needed_ to get your flirt on today for some reason."

"Look, Edward, this move to Warwickshire has been fantastic for business, great for our output, but you haven't been yourself since we bought this place and moved out here." Jasper glanced at Alice. "We can't help but feel we're missing something." Alice kept quiet, convinced that she knew exactly what had got to him.

"Jasper, Alice, I love you both, but you worry too much. I told you, I was a bit freaked out at first about returning to this part of the world, but I'm fine now. Let's get the rest of the interviews over with."

-cc-

The rest of the interviews passed without incident, and by lunchtime, Alice, Jasper and Edward had finished, and made their decision about who would be offered an internship. Jessica Stanley. She had been one of the best candidates all-round on paper. Despite the flirting incident Alice and Jasper agreed with Edward that she was the candidate that had come across best in the interview.

After grabbing a quick lunch in the studio's large kitchen/dining room, Edward and Mike walked into Alice and Jasper's massive shared office so they could work on the next pressing issue of business, Bree Tanner's album.

"Hey Eric, where are Alice and Jasper?" Edward asked of Alice's assistant, who was sat at his desk looking at his laptop. "I thought we were meeting about now."

"They'll be here any minute. Alice snagged one of her stockings and has gone back to their cottage to change, and Jasper and Austin had to update the accountants with some figures or something like that." Eric replied, distracted by what he was reading on screen.

"Right. What are you looking at?"

"Just going through this for Alice." Eric pointed to a memory stick stuck into the laptop's USB port. "She wanted to hear my opinion. She loves them, and I can see why."

"'Them'?"

"Some poems from a potential lyricist," he replied nonchalantly, rather engrossed.

"Really?" Edward's interest was piqued. "She never said anything to me."

"You only just got back from LA though. She was going to tell you about it in the meeting you're about to have. Well done on landing the production for Nicki Minaj's new EP by the way."

"Thanks. So, could I have a look?"

"Sure." Eric handed the laptop to Edward who sat down on the sofa with it.

As he read over the next couple of minutes, he became more and more excited.

"Fucking hell, this stuff is amazing!" He exclaimed. "Contemporary, simple, but really sharp! This is exactly what we need, not just for Bree Tanner, but for our team. Imagine the songs we could write...!"

"AJE Records would be unstoppable. A songwriting _tour de force."_ Eric agreed.

They both turned as Alice, followed by Austin and Jasper, walked back in.

"Hey, are we ready to start?"

"Alice, these poems... fucking hell, I have to work with this lyricist! I haven't read such amazing stuff since..." _Since Bella. _"...since forever!"

"Really, are you sure...?"

"Of course! I can make two of these poems fit the melodies I've written for Bree with next to no changes, off the cuff! And the rest... oh my God!" He stood up with the laptop and started pacing to work off the excited energy coursing through him.

"Fuck, I can't remember the last time you sounded so pumped, man!" Jasper added, finding Edward's enthusiasm infectious.

"Totally. Set the meeting up. ASAP. Please. Do it!"

"You don't want to know who the writer is?"

"I don't actually care if it's Adolf fucking Hitler."

Before Alice could answer, Eric piped up,

"Well, you know Rosalie, the receptionist? It's her sister, Becca? No, Bella. That's right, Bella Swan."

-cc-

Esme had moved her day off from Monday to Wednesday in order to spend it cooking and baking. Alice, Jasper, Edward and Emmett were coming round that evening for Edward's birthday dinner and she was determined to make it special. Despite the fact that she was tired thanks to being up since three am with morning sickness, she was decided to make a difficult Viennese Sachertorte. It had been a speciality of their mother's, and she knew Edward loved the Austrian chocolate cake with apricot jam and dark chocolate icing.

Unfortunately, Esme's attempts turned into disaster. Three hours later, she and the kitchen were covered in chocolate, and the cake was a burnt, sunken mess. Tearful, exhausted and frustrated, she called the best baker she knew.

"_Hi Esme?"_

"Hey Bella..."

"_Oh, crap, what's wrong? Your voice is shaky."_

Esme started crying.

"Sorry, it's nothing, just these damn hormones. I cry at everything. I was trying to make a Sachertorte but it's just gone horribly wrong. It sank in the middle and it's burnt on the outside. And the chocolate icing's all oily. I've got my brothers and a couple of friends coming round at seven o'clock and I have no cake!"

Bella swallowed hard. _Sachertorte. Edward's favourite. For his birthday. Today._

Bella glanced at the plain chocolate cake she had just made. She had been baking every day in order to distract herself from the pending phone call from Alice with regards writing for AJE Records. Alice had already told her that it might take some time for her to make contact because Edward was away on a business trip, something echoed by Esme, the last time she had spoken to Bella.

"_Look, Esme, you're obviously tired. I've got a chocolate sponge made. I'll make it into a Sachertorte-like cake and drop it round."_

"Bella, I can't ask you to..."

"_You didn't ask, I offered. And it would be a delight."_

"Thank you!" Esme was too tired to argue. "One day, when I'm less hormonal and time-pressed, will you show me how to make it right?"

"_Of course I will. Now, take it easy and I'll come round later this afternoon."_

-cc-

Edward was so taken aback at hearing Bella's name, he nearly dropped the laptop. Eric took it from him and Edward went to sit down.

"Eric, Mike, Austin, please could you give us some privacy?" Alice asked, in a voice that they all recognised her no-nonsense one.

"Sure, boss." Eric placed the laptop in Alice's waiting hands and he and the other assistants duly trooped out. Jasper shut the door behind them.

"OK, what the hell's going on?" He asked, confused. "Why are you having a full-on meltdown?" Jasper looked at the sofa where Edward was lying back with his eyes closed, trying to take deep breaths to quell the anxiety.

"Edward, don't you think it's time you explained about Bella? She's the reason you've been a basket-case since we moved to Warwickshire, right?"

"You know?"

"Yup. I just kind of worked it out. Come on, Edward. You need to tell us about her," Alice encouraged.

Edward motioned for them to sit, which they did, on either side of him.

"When I was eighteen, Bella Swan was my whole world..."

He told them the important things. How she was the most beautiful girl he ever saw, how he loved her with all his being, how she was the brightest, most intelligent, talented person he ever met, but also that her rejection had hurt more than the loss of his parents and how the only thing that made him feel human again was his music, their friendship and the support of his siblings.

"Fuck. No wonder you've been freakin' out."

"Oh, Edward." Alice sighed. "It all makes sense. OMG, that tattoo on your chest... it's a swan! It's for Bella!"

"Yes, it is. My beautiful swan," he replied, remembering the day he got it, the day before his heart got smashed to pieces.

"So, what are your thoughts about potentially working with her?" Jasper asked. "I know I'm no expert in the creative arm of what we do, but these words... they're magic."

"Occasionally, when we were together, we would write. Usually she'd write a poem and I'd write some notes to go with it, but sometimes it was the other way around. They sounded phenomenal, even raw and rough-cut in our own mediocre voices. But I don't know... I'm still so angry."

"Do you still love her?" asked Alice.

"What, no! That ship has sailed. No... no... I don't... I don't feel anything for her anymore."

Alice looked at him sceptically. _Denial, thy name is Edward Cullen._

"Edward, you said it yourself. Bella's writing is exactly what we've been looking for. Do you think you could get over everything to work with her?"

"I don't know. I really don't know right now," he muttered. "So, how did you manage to get her writing anyway? Did Bella approach you with them? Did she tell you about us?"

"Hell, no! I came across her blog, and then approached Rosalie. Rosalie and I kinda ambushed her. When I asked her about working with us, she said no immediately, but then she came back later and gave me the memory stick. She said that she would be interested in meeting but only, and she emphasised the _only_, if you were sure you could work with her."

"Fuck. I think I need to get out of here for a while. Do some thinking."

"Look, why don't we all head to your sister's house early? It's a beautiful day. We can chill out by the river, play some soccer on the lawn and you can make a decision about Bella tomorrow," Jasper suggested.

"That's a great idea," Edward agreed. "Oh and Jazz?"

"Yeah?"

"We're in England. It's not 'soccer', it's football!"

-cc-

Emmett Cullen sauntered into the reception of The Elizabeth Studios to find it empty. He had dropped by on his way to Esme's house in Stratford from a meeting in Birmingham as the opportunity to visit his brother's workplace had so far eluded him. There was a sign on the front desk.

_**Please ring the bell for attention.**_

Emmett duly rang it, and played on his iPhone while he waited. A couple of minutes later, he heard the feminine click-click of high heels on the polished hardwood floor.

"Good afternoon. Welcome to The Elizabeth Studios. How may I help?" A crisp, light female voice asked. He looked up from his phone.

_Holy bloody mother of something fucking amazing... wow...when did Edward start hiring supermodels?_

Emmett's mouth went dry and it took him a moment to compose himself as the blonde bombshell in front of him slipped into her seat at the desk.

"Hello. I'd like to see Edward please, Edward Cullen?"

"I'm sorry, sir, but Mr Cullen does not have any appointments scheduled, and he doesn't see unscheduled visitors." Rosalie replied politely and indifferently, even though her heart was pounding and it was taking everything inside her not to sigh like a teenage girl. The huge hulk of a man in front of her was the stuff of her erotic novel-driven fantasies. Dark brown curly hair, light greenish-blue eyes that twinkled, a wide smile. Muscles, muscles everywhere. Dressed to impress in a smart grey pinstripe suit. She had never met him before but she felt both extremely safe and very apprehensive in his presence.

"He might make an exception for me..." Emmett read her name tag. "...Rosalie. I'm his brother, Emmett."

"Do you have any ID?" She countered coolly. She had inherited her poker face from Charlie.

"I do indeed." Emmett pulled out his wallet and showed her his driving licence.

"Thank you. I'm afraid that Edward, along with Mr and Mrs Whitlock, has already left for the day."

"Really? That's a surprise."

"Yes, Edward's usually the last to leave, but it is his birthday... sorry, you're his brother, of course you know that."

"I do." Emmett grinned, and Rosalie found herself smiling back whilst curling a loose tendril of honey-blonde hair behind her ear. "Have you worked here long?"

"No, just a couple of weeks, but I've settled in well. They're very friendly, respectful, supportive."

"Budding musician, are you?" Emmett asked, his subtle Yorkshire accent emphasising his deep voice.

"God, no! Puppies whine when I sing!" She laughed. Emmett laughed with her, glancing at her hands, looking for a wedding ring and delightedly finding none. "I temped here before, and Alice Whitlock offered me a permanent position here when she fired the last receptionist."

"Which means that you did an amazing job. I know Alice, and Alice knows talent."

Rosalie felt her cheeks heat up. _I'm blushing? Fucking hell..._

"Thanks."

"So, Rosalie, may I ask you something?" Emmett began nervously, although he did not show it.

"You can ask, but I may choose not to answer."

Emmett smiled. _I really like her spark._

"OK... please will you let me take you out for dinner sometime?"

Rosalie was not sure what she was expecting him to ask, but it wasn't that, not so soon She hadn't dated since Royce left when the twins were babies, not because she still cared one iota for her ex, not at all, but because she was afraid of what it would mean for George and Gemma, the centre of her universe.

She took a deep breath and involuntarily looked over at her screensaver, a picture of her with Gemma and George taken by Bella when they went out for pizza to celebrate getting her job at the studios.

"Oh, right, um... the thing is, Mr Cullen..."

"Emmett, please call me Emmett," he interjected, steeling himself for the rejection.

"Emmett..." Rosalie let his name roll off her tongue, liking the way it sounded. "...I have... commitments..."

"Oh, right. Sorry. I just saw no wedding ring and assumed that you were... sorry."

He hung his head a little, and slipped his phone back into his jacket pocket, preparing to leave.

"It's not that!" She blurted out. Emmett looked up. "I'm not with anybody!"

"So you don't like me... well, that's... that's worse," he replied with chagrin, smile fading even more.

"Emmett, that's not it either."

He smiled again.

"No?"

"No. As I said..." she turned her computer screen so Emmett could see the picture. "...commitments. I have seven year-old twins at home. I'm a single parent, and the only reason I'm able to hold down a full time job is because my wonderful sister gave up everything and moved in to help me with childcare when my ex left us. I don't want to subject any decent guy to that kind of baggage. Plus, you're my boss's brother and this is the first decent job I've had in years..."

"Whoa, whoa... Rosalie, it's OK." Emmett involuntarily leaned over and covered her hand with his own. She looked at it but didn't move away. The feeling of safety shot through the roof. _He looks after people. He's a protector._

"It is?"

"I like you. Not only because you're the most gorgeous girl I've ever seen, but because you're feisty, full of life. Fascinating. Why don't you let me judge what baggage I can or cannot handle? If you're not ready for a date, maybe we could swap numbers? Talk or text? Get to know each other a little?" He suggested.

Rosalie looked into Emmett's handsome, sincere face, and felt butterflies in her stomach.

"I'd like that."

-cc-

At around 5 pm, Bella, along with Gemma and George (for Rosalie was not back from work yet), pulled her ancient Ford Fiesta into Riverview Place to drop off the Sachertorte, behind a black Mercedes saloon. She assumed it belonged to Carlisle.

"Bella!" Esme greeted the door with a big beaming smile. "Oh, thank you so much! Come in, come in!"

"Oh, well, I've got Gemma and George..."

"Bring them in! I've made fresh lemonade with mint and iced tea. It's the least I can do... you've gone above and beyond for me today." Bella could tell from the look on Esme's face that she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

"OK. Let me go get them."

After a quick reminder about being on best behaviour, Bella let the twins out of the car and they followed her towards the front door of the house, where Esme was grinning.

"Hi Gemma! Hi George! Come in!"

"Hello, Mrs Cullen." They greeted in chorus, well aware that they got in good with the grown-ups for playing up their twinning.

"Oh isn't that precious?" Esme gushed. "You can call me Esme."

They followed her to the kitchen, where Bella set down the Sachertorte. Esme poured lemonade for the kids and iced tea for Bella.

"So how's the rest of the cooking gone, Esme?" Bella asked. The kitchen smelled of coriander, lemon and olive oil.

"Fine. After I spoke to you on the phone I had a nap for an hour, and then finished off the cooking just before my brother and his friends came round early!"

"Your brother? E-Edward? He's here already?"

"Yes, with his best friends Alice and Jasper..."

The sound of laughter drifted in from the conservatory doors and Bella turned to see Alice tumble in with a handsome blond man she recognised from photos on the internet and Rosalie's description as Jasper Whitlock.

"God, Esme, I don't think us Yanks are built for 'football!' All that kicking and heading and... Bella!"

"Hi Alice." Bella murmured.

Bella didn't turn her eyes towards Alice as she answered. Instead they were fixed upon the shocked, beautiful face of the man she loved, for whom she yearned and pined for so many years.

His bronze hair, a little shorter, more artfully tousled.

His jade eyes, flecked with gold, darkening as they swept over her.

His crooked grin, disappearing.

His square jawline, more prominent with age.

His large hands, that used to hold hers so tenderly, gripping a white football hard.

"Hello, Edward."

Edward's smile faltered and suddenly he found it hard to breathe. His heart felt swollen, threatening to break his ribcage. His hands went clammy.

_No, I can't let her get to me, even though she's standing ten feet away looking more beautiful than all my memories, more beautiful than that glimpse at the train station. _

Edward dropped the ball, placed his hands in his pockets and nodded in her direction.

"Bella."

The tension between them permeated the room, and everyone was suddenly aware of the shift in atmosphere, except George. He got up from his stool at Esme's breakfast bar and rushed towards the ball at Edward's feet before nudging and flicking it with his toes.

"You've been playing football? Cool! I love football! I'm not 'posed to play right now because I broke my arm, but my mummy and Auntie Bella say that all the best footballers get broken arms and have to have casts, but as soon as the doctor takes it off I'm gonna play again!" He rambled excitedly.

"George, sweetie, no ball games in the house." Bella murmured, forcing herself to break eye contact with Edward. "Please come back and finish your drink."

"OK." George kicked the ball up into his good hand and handed it to Edward before running to Bella. She hugged him to her side and briefly ruffled his mop of honey-blond curls before helping him to sit back on the stool.

Esme had suspected that Bella might have been Edward's high school girlfriend ever since Carlisle told her about her brother seeing Bella on the train platform in Birmingham and acting oddly afterwards. Now, standing in the same room as them, watching them meet again, she wondered how she hadn't got it sooner. _So Bella is the one that got away. And judging from her face, she was as shaken by the break-up as him._

"Edward, I forgot you and Bella went to the same school. How nice to have a bit of a reunion!" She said, unable to resist the urge to stir things up between them.

"Yeah…" Bella mumbled, deliberately not looking in her direction.

"Actually, Esme, we're in talks with Bella to see if she might join us at AJE as a lyricist." Alice told her excitedly.

"Really, how wonderful! The two classmates working together again! I don't know much about music but I imagine that together, with your combined talents, you'd make the most wonderful songs."

"Well, nothing's concrete yet." Edward replied impassively. "I was only shown Bella's writings today."

Bella almost doubled over in anguish at his coldness.

"But your writings are fantastic, darlin'." Jasper added, sensing her pain. "Jasper Whitlock, by the way, seeing as nobody introduced me." He strode forward and offered a hand to Bella. She shook it and made herself make eye contact. "Nice to finally meet you, Bella. "

"Hi Jasper. Thank you."

"And, it sure is nice to meet Rosalie's li'l 'uns. "Hey kids. I'm Jasper. Your mama works with us at the studio."

"Hello! I like the way you talk!" George exclaimed.

"Hello Jasper." Gemma echoed, more subdued.

"Well, you two are such cool kids. I'm a gonna tell your mama that tomorrow!"

Bella glanced over at the twins and almost cried out in relief as George drained the last of his lemonade. Gemma had long since finished hers, and was watching her aunt anxiously, able to tell that something wasn't right.

"Auntie Bella, look, we finished our drinks!" George exclaimed.

"Auntie Bella, I'm hungry." Gemma added.

"OK, babies, perhaps we should get home and leave these nice people to their evening."

"Oh, you don't have to go so soon!" Esme cried. "You just got here."

"Thank you Esme, that's very sweet of you but the twins haven't done their homework yet and still need dinner. We shouldn't keep you from Edward's birthday celebrations any longer."

"Oh, OK." Esme sounded disappointed and Bella felt guilty, but she needed to leave.

"Great to see you again, Bella. We'll be in touch very soon." Alice said, glancing at Edward. Bella couldn't help but look at Edward too.

"Thanks," Bella replied. "Lovely to meet you Jasper."

"You too, darlin'."

"Edward. Happy birthday. I hope you enjoy the rest of your evening." Bella finally told him, as calmly and genially as possible. "Say happy birthday to Edward, kids."

"Happy birthday Edward."

Edward didn't say anything but nodded in acknowledgement. His vocal cords felt like sandpaper. He was far too stunned at seeing Bella, and especially at the maelstrom of emotions brought forth by seeing her love and affection for Gemma and George, Gemma especially, for she was the spitting image of Bella. _If she hadn't decided that I wasn't the man for her, she would have been the mother of my children._

Bella expected exactly such a response. _He's still angry. I hurt him so badly. Even if he comes to tolerate me enough to work with me, I don't think he'll ever forgive me. And I don't blame him._

Swallowing back a sob, she turned, held on tight to George's and Gemma's hands, and followed Esme to the front door.

"See you soon, Esme." She hugged her friend quickly before scurrying to the car.

-cc-

Rosalie couldn't help but grin to herself all the way home. It had been a very long time since she'd felt any attraction to a man, and there was something about Emmett Cullen that made her weak-kneed. Not to mention how secure she felt with him. Something inside told her that he was inherently good and trustworthy, but motherhood and the need to protect her babies made her careful.

She pulled up outside her house, just as Bella was getting Gemma and George out of her Fiesta.

"Hello, where have you been?" She asked. To her surprise, Bella didn't answer, but fled into the house.

"We went to Grandpa's old house, where Auntie Bella's friend Esme lives," Gemma told her mother. "Esme's really nice, and so were her friends, but Auntie Bella didn't seem to like them so much."

"It was only the one with the penny-coloured hair she didn't like, whose birthday it was. She liked the ones who spoke American."

"Yeah. He was really handsome. But he wasn't very friendly."

"Handsome?! Ooh! Gemma and Penny Hair Man sitting in a tree…"

"Stop it George! You're such a doo-doo head!"

"I'm not a doo-doo head, you are!"

"Kids!" Rosalie stopped them before they escalated into a full-on fight. "Let's go inside," she said, confused.

Bella was cooking spaghetti and heating up the sauce she made earlier, trying to distract herself, trying to hold onto the tears until she was safely in her room.

"Bellsie?"

"Dinner won't be too long. Nothing special. Just spaghetti..."

"What's going on? Talk to me! Please?"

"I can't."

"Bella!"

"Georgie, Gemma, go clean your hands, kids. Dinner will be ready in five minutes!" George and Gemma looked at each other and hesitated for a second. "Now, babies! Now!" Bella's voice was uncharacteristically high and snappy, and the kids quickly ran off.

Bella promptly lost it and burst into tears.

"Sorry! Sorry…" Rosalie held onto her and Bella cried helplessly in her arms.

"What's happened? Come on, Bella. It must be something big because whilst you're the biggest emo I know, I haven't seen you cry for years…" _Not since… him. That night. Edward the musician. Edward… musician… Yorkshire accent… penny-coloured hair… no way… SHIT!_

Rosalie let go of Bella abruptly as all the pieces clicked into place. One look at Bella's face, and Rosalie knew she was right.

"Bella, go downstairs. We really, _really _need to talk about this. I'll give the kids their dinner and let them watch Spongebob or something, and then come down so we can talk, OK?"

"OK." Bella was too tired to protest.

-cc-

The tense atmosphere lingered after Bella and the twins departed, and Edward felt like his family were all on tenterhooks, even Carlisle and Emmett, who hadn't been there to witness the awkwardness, although he was sure that Esme had pulled them aside to tell them.

Finally, as they were waiting for the oven to heat up the dishes Esme had made earlier, he snapped.

"OK, look, it's my birthday and I want to enjoy it! Let's just talk about Bella and get it out the way."

"Thank God!" Esme exclaimed. "I was trying to figure out a tactful way to bring it up."

"Me too!"

"Oh, hell, me too!"

"And me!"

"There is no good way to start a conversation about the girl who broke my heart," muttered Edward.

"So she was your girlfriend at school?" Carlisle enquired.

"Yes. We were together for a year, and just before we were about to go away travelling, she decided she couldn't do it and dumped me."

"Bella dumped you? That shy, quiet little thing?"

"Yes." Edward replied curtly. He wasn't prepared to relive the most painful conversation of his life. "And thanks to the world being really fucking small, her old house is the new Cullen family house. She has become my sister's new best friend. I'm employing her sister as our new receptionist, and just when I think that there can't possibly be any more ways in which her life criss-crosses mine, I find out that she is the lyricist that my business partners are hoping to employ!"

"Wait a second… Rosalie is Bella's sister?" Emmett asked.

"How do you know who Rosalie is?" Jasper asked.

"I came by the studios on my way here from Birmingham. She told me you already left, and I then, um, left." Emmett replied. Suddenly he was assaulted by a memory.

Bella turning up on 9/11, painfully thin, eyes wide and red-rimmed, face tear-stained, almost feral with worry. Her relief when she found out he was alive.

"_I never broke up with him! I just couldn't go away with him!"_

"_Why not?"_

"_I... Look, I can't talk about it. It still hurts too much. I just had to make sure he was OK. I'd better go."_

Emmett recalled the tortured look on Bella's face before she ran off and suddenly felt bad for never telling Edward that she had come by that night. _What exactly was it that stopped her from going away with my brother? Maybe I should have told him..._

"Do you hate her?" Emmett suddenly blurted. "Dude, you were so broken that day… I'll never forget it…"

"Hate's not the right word, although I have no idea what is. She gave up on us at the first hurdle. She was happy to be with me whilst things were easy, when we could keep things quiet, but the moment we had to show our commitment to each other, she couldn't do it. She didn't love me like I thought she did. It hurt. It really fucking hurt."

Guilt stabbed at Emmett. _But she did love you... and I never said. _

"_Please, if you can, please tell him that I love him and that I'm sorry. I'll always be sorry." _

"But can you get over that? What do you think about working with her? Edward, you can't deny her talent. Her poetry shows that she has natural rhythm, and her mastery of words and emotions… they're out of this world." Alice commented.

"I don't deny it at all. The songs we used to write together? They were brilliant."

"Anything we've released already?"

"No. I could never... it was too personal… they didn't just belong to me…"

"So, you didn't answer my original question." Alice pressed. "I know it's a huge ask, but you were kids then. You're adults now and your paths are going to keep crossing anyway. Can you get over it enough to write with her?"

"Alice..."

"Think about it. Bring Bella on board, and we'll have Bree's album written in less than a month. Whatever happened between you guys, it's so obvious you have a real connection. Think about how that could translate to songwriting."

"And to record sales," added Jasper.

"Edward, maybe you wouldn't have to see her that often. It would depend on how she works, I guess. Perhaps she would want to work remotely most of the time." When Edward was silent, Alice continued. "Look, it took a lot of guts for her to give us that USB stick knowing how awkward things would be when you guys met again."

Edward, ever ambitious, thought about the words he'd read earlier that day and how they were already mingling with notes in his mind, how he was already picturing Bree's voice singing them, how the finished tracks would sound. _I do want those lyrics. AJE would be unstoppable. _

"OK. As long as I don't have to see her all the time."

What Edward hated the most as he agreed to work with Bella, was that part of him _wanted_ to see her all the time.

-cc-

When Rosalie made her way into Bella's basement bedsit carrying two bowls of pasta, a bar of Dairy Milk and a bottle of wine on a tray, she found her sister looking at the contents of the white shoebox she kept under her bed. Rosalie hadn't dared to look at it since the day she found out about Edward, her sister's first boyfriend. Edward who turned out to be Edward Cullen, music producer extraordinaire. Edward Cullen, her boss.

"All right, Bellsie. Spill."

"I knew it was going to happen sooner or later, bumping into him." Bella whispered, picking up a photograph of her teenage self eating ice cream in the park with Edward's arm draped around her shoulder. She gave it to Rosalie. "My Edward is…"

"Edward Cullen." Rosalie finished. "You never said. All these connections and coincidences, and you never said anything more about him after that day. We knew you were pining for him. That you didn't move on, but you never, ever talked about him. About breaking up with him…"

"I didn't break up with him. I never said the words 'Edward, I want to break up.' But he thought that that was what I wanted, that I thought he wasn't good enough for me, and told me to 'have a nice life' before hanging up the phone."

Rosalie held her sister's hand and let her cry for a while.

"Bella, you know that I'm sorry, right? Sorry for telling Mum and Dad, sorry for siding with them, sorry for everything that happened afterwards? Your illness?" Rosalie asked, familiar guilt bubbling up from deep within. "I was so selfish back then. I was afraid for you but I was also thinking of how it would affect me and my marriage to Royce. I'm so sorry."

"You did have a point though, whatever your motivations. When I look back on our plan, it was teenage and idealistic. I know that you and Dad were genuinely worried about me and my welfare and that when you took away my passport, you thought you were doing what was best for me."

"I still don't know what happened. You were so determined to be with him. I thought for sure I'd find you gone in the morning and in the queue at the passport office to get a replacement. Instead I find you sobbing on your bedroom floor, whispering 'he's gone, he's gone.' Even afterwards, I kept expecting you to disappear from Durham or something."

"I didn't know where he was. It wasn't until 9/11 that I had any idea he had ended up in New York. And even if I had known, I made a choice. I chose Swan not Cullen and I couldn't go back."

"Sorry, what are you talking about? Swan not Cullen?"

"Mum told me I had to choose. If I went after Edward, I would never be allowed back. Disowned. I would never be allowed to come to your wedding or meet your children. And as much as I loved him then, and now, I had to have my sister in my life."

Rosalie felt her bottom lip tremble and hot, angry tears slip down her cheeks. _She chose me over the love of her life. Just when I think my sister could not be more selfless, she goes and does it again. _

"Mum said that? That you had to choose, forever?"

Bella merely nodded.

"Bella, Dad and I would never have given you such an ultimatum! Even if you did find a way to run off with him, and things didn't work out, or you got into trouble, we would have welcomed you back. Swans for life!"

"I know. Mum manipulated me to assert her authority. By the time I realised, it was too late to go after Edward. It took her leaving our family when we were at our lowest possible ebb to see how vile she was. That's why I forgave you and Dad so easily, and why I cannot forgive her."

Rosalie enveloped her sister in yet another hug and the two of them curled up together on Bella's bed, eating pasta and drinking wine quietly whilst trying to absorb the revelations. Just as they were about to break into the chocolate, Rosalie's mobile rang.

"Shit, it's Alice. If I'd known that he was your Edward, I'd never have encouraged Alice to offer you…"

"It's OK, Rosie. I'm pretty sure Edward's not going to want to work with me anyway, but let me hear it from her… answer it."

"OK…" Rosalie pressed 'Accept' and put it on speakerphone. "Hi Alice."

"_Hey. Are you with Bella?"_

"Yes, you're on speaker."

"_Oh good. Hey Bella."_

"Hi."

"_Well, we've had a really long talk, especially after you and Edward bumped into each other today. The bottom line is that we would really like to work with you, if you still think you can work with us."_

"Really? Edward wants to work with me?"

"_He wants to try. Does Rosalie know about…?"_

"She does now."

"_Good. Bella, you and Edward together could make like, seriously, the most awesome amazing tracks, as long as you can get over the past enough to work together."_

"I know. A lot was left unsaid and unresolved when Edward and I parted ways, but that shouldn't be why I take this job, Alice, or why I should avoid it."

"_No, I see that. We need your talent, Bella. And it sounds like you need a better job than writing shitty boring articles for shitty boring newsletters. What about a trial run? Say, three months? If either of you are unhappy, you can pull the plug."_

"That sounds like a sensible idea."

"_And, Bella, sweetie, we would pay you £100K per annum. It's the industry standard for music publishing contracts,"_ Alice replied. "_And of course you'll get a share of the royalties from any track that gets airplay."_

Bella spit out the mouthful of wine she had just taken. _One hundred thousand pounds? Eight times my current income? And royalties? _

"Hang on a sec…" Bella put Alice on hold. "Rosie, what do you think?"

"If you can work with Edward, Bellsie, then go for it."

Bella took one long, deep breath in and out before talking to Alice again. _I'm doing this. It's going to be excruciating, being around him when I can't have him, but at least it'll make the words flow._

"Alice… when do I start?

-cc-


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Hi everyone and sorry about the wait on this chapter. I hope you like it! **

**Thanks to all of you who reviewed- the last chapter provoked some strong emotions at Edward and Bella's meeting and the events thereafter. **

**I would like to take this opportunity to welcome my new pre-reader and beta, SunflowerFran3759, who has been so encouraging of this story. I've been struggling with RL craziness recently and so I've welcomed having her fantastic support.**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen**

October 2002

_"And coming up on NYC's Number One urban music station, Electric FM, today's most requested tune, number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100...hot new producers AJE with 'New in Town' featuring Chelsea Binds! And wow, you guys are so hot for this track! The phones have been on fire!"_

The sound of the radio talking about their music in the plush Midtown offices of Marcus and Aro Volturi, cousins of Edward's ex boss Demetri, only served to increase Alice's, Jasper's and Edward's anxiety over their impending meeting.

Demetri had invested in their burgeoning business, especially after the success of AJE's most recent track; 'New in Town' cracked the top 30 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also became a dance floor success in Europe. Featuring the vocals of one of Alice's classmates from NYU, it was, thanks to an aggressive marketing campaign, spreading like wildfire. However, Demetri had just bought out a chain of bars from a rival who had gone bankrupt and could not put up the full amount Alice, Jasper and Edward needed, so he advised them to meet with his cousins.

Aro and Marcus Volturi were wealthy investment bankers**,** and Edward, Alice and Jasper were meeting with them to secure backing to finally start their label, AJE Records. They had raised enough capital through record sales (after releasing four successful tracks in six months) to register the business and get started, but they needed a business location that could house a recording studio as well as offices, and property in New York was far from cheap.

As well as working with Alice and Jasper on their business, Edward was gaining increasing popularity and notoriety as a club DJ, not only in New York, where he had a residency at The Sullivan Room, but all over the country. Demetri had been sad to see his best bar manager go, but he could see the passion and dedication, not to mention the talent, that Edward possessed. Edward was happy to be making a very comfortable living from his DJ work, but it wasn't enough for him. He wanted to make music that set the world on fire; he wanted to make music that pushed boundaries and enlightened the dance genre's sceptics.

After his stint in rehab, Jasper moved in with Alice and Edward. He immediately began orchestrating the business plan he had drawn up while at The Meyer Centre, and spent hours researching the music industry from a financial point of view. Having insisted that he could and would not work anywhere that served alcohol or tobacco, he got a job at a local vegetarian restaurant in Greenwich Village. It didn't pay very much, but it kept him from feeling like a scrounger or charity case, and got him back into the discipline of working for a living, instead of having his life ruled by a drug. He was _happy_, and for the first time in years, it wasn't an artificial happy. It was hard at times, and sometimes, when he was tired or had had a bad day, the cravings could rear their ugly heads. But instead of seeking out a dealer, he would talk to Edward or Alice, or find Peter and Charlotte at the homeless clinic, who acted as his sponsors.

The single biggest change in Jasper's life, however, was that he now knew what love felt like. He considered Edward his best friend and the brother he had never had, but was still stunned every time Edward returned the sentiment in some small way, or every time Edward considered him in a decision. Brotherly love, Alice had called it. And Alice, of course, had become his _raison d'être. _His other best friend, his lover, his confidant and the sun around which he orbited. When he first moved in, they agreed to take their relationship forward slowly, but it didn't even take a week before Jasper was sleeping in her bed instead of on the couch.

Alice was wholly committed to Jasper's business plan. She and Edward recorded_ a capella_ vocals and produced them into slick urban tracks, which Alice then promoted. She bombarded radio stations, music reviewers, club promoters and DJs with copies of their records. She also scouted the whole of New York looking for new vocal and instrumental talent, and held showcases for unsigned artists. If other label scouts wanted to attend, they had to pay AJE a fee if they signed the artist. She got herself known to music agents and referred them artists who needed representation, and again, took a cut.

Their hard work paid off when the money started rolling in. Investors like the Volturis started noticing, and EMI offered to buy up their talent even before AJE Records became a music label, but Alice, Jasper and Edward refused. They wanted to carve their own niche in the industry. They wanted to be their own bosses. And they were doing it, but in order to truly get off the ground, they need a big cash injection, which was where the Volturis came in.

"Please follow me." An assistant appeared out of nowhere and directed them to a conference room where Marcus and Aro were waiting. They sat down, and Edward began.

"Gentlemen, thank you for agreeing to see us with an interest in investing in our company, AJE Records. We intend to become the world's foremost urban music, dance and electronica record label and production company. We intend to focus on high quality vocal and instrumental performance. In the past six months we have released four tracks as AJE with featured artists, and these have all returned sizeable profits. We believe that with your backing, we can take this work forward, through your investment in our new, full featured recording studio…"

"Edward… I think there has been some misunderstanding…" Aro Volturi interrupted. Edward, Alice and Jasper looked at each other in alarm.

"Yes, why are you pitching your business to us? We already know all about it." Marcus added.

"We were under the impression, sir, that you were looking to invest…" Jasper started.

"We are investing. Demetri already gave us your business plan. Once we saw what you had achieved from just your apartment, we knew that we wanted to back you. We just wanted to put names to faces and ask you how much you need."

"Really," Alice squeaked. "You're gonna invest?"

"We are." Marcus told them.

Thirty minutes later, Alice, Jasper and Edward walked out of the Volturi Brothers' offices and whooped loudly, jumping up and down and hugging each other in joy.

"I can't fucking believe it! Two million dollars!" Alice cried. "Jazzy, this couldn't have happened without your mad business skills" She jumped into his arms and peppered him in kisses before letting go and hugging Edward. "And you! Mr Music Genius!"

"We'd better get property-hunting." Edward grinned. _Our very own studios, making our own kind of music. _

"Let's head home. We got some celebrating to do first. The property search can wait until tomorrow." Alice told them.

"You're right, darlin'." Jasper kissed her on the cheek. "TAXI!" A yellow cab screeched to a halt in front of them and they piled in.

"The Village please, corner of Sullivan and Bleecker." He told the driver before they sped away.

Watching them from an alley between the Volturi Brothers' offices and a neighbouring hotel was a face from Jasper's past. Intrigued by his smart appearance, his English buddy and his designer- clad girlfriend, and of course, her comment about 'two million dollars,' Lucy picked up her mobile phone to call her boss.

"Yo, Maria, you'll never guess who's alive and well, looking like _two _million dollars and living in Greenwich Village."

-cc-

Alice, Jasper and Edward continued to throw everything into their growing business. After securing the money from the Volturi brothers, Jasper gave his two weeks' notice at the restaurant. Setting up the record label, keeping track of their income, hunting for locations and promoting Alice and Edward's skills, was proving to be more than a full-time job. He had started to venture into Eclissi with Edward and Alice occasionally, when the bar was quiet, as a way of testing himself in the environment.

With a beautiful girlfriend and a career to live for, he found that he wasn't tempted to drink, although the occasional whiff of tobacco and cannabis on other drinkers' clothing sometimes created a craving for weed. But Jasper knew that if he got high from cannabis, he would inevitably seek out a stronger high from heroin. He was proud of himself for not even having a drink, sticking to club soda or root beer, and for not even having a cigarette.

A week after their lucrative meeting with the Volturi Brothers, Jasper was returning to the apartment from his Saturday evening shift at the restaurant, anticipating spending the rest of the evening at home alone catching up with paperwork and preparing a report for Aro and Marcus. Edward was DJ-ing at two different clubs that night, first at the exclusive Marquee in Chelsea, where he was doing a guest set, and then onto his residency at The Sullivan Room. Alice had tagged along with some of her girlfriends, taking advantage of Edward's free VIP passes. Between the business and Jasper, she didn't go dancing as much as she used to, and Jasper encouraged her to go.

Despite being tired, he had never felt better. The next day, they were going to view some business locations in TriBeCa for the second time, and he had a really good feeling about it. They were also releasing another track the following week, called _Adagio Manhattan_. It was Jasper's favourite track of Edward's, mixing samples from Barber's _Adagio_ _for Strings _and Chicane's _Saltwater, _but featuring Alice's vocals (although she insisted that they not list her as the vocalist). They had planned a very strong marketing campaign, capitalising on their existing successes.

Just as he was about to open the door to the block, Jasper became aware of someone behind him. Before he even turned round, he knew who it was from the cloud of Poison perfume that enveloped his senses.

"Jasper. Hey."

He recalled a time when Maria's low, simmering drawl and the smell of Poison instantly aroused him. Now, they caused him to break out in a cold sweat, apprehension prickling through him.

"Maria."

He wasn't altogether surprised, when he turned around, to see that she looked essentially the same as when she shoved a garbage bag of his things into his arms and pushed him out of the door of her Hell's Kitchen apartment. Same wild ebony curls, same ruby red lips, same olive skin. She was dressed more expensively, in a tight black dress and sky-high heels with a bright red coat, but she lacked the subtlety of someone used to designer clothing. _Like my Alice._

"You're looking good. Real good." She looked him up and down before stepping closer.

"I know."

"Clean?"

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Nine months." He sighed. "Look, I'm real tired. Why don't you tell me what you want, so I can go to bed?"

"Bed, huh? Want some company?" Her suggestive tone made him feel sick.

"Only from my girlfriend."

"Ah, yes. Alice. You got a thing for black haired girls, don't 'cha?"

"How do you know about her? What the fuck, Maria? Have you been following us?"

"Well as I live and breathe... Jasper Whitlock, are you in love?"

Jasper said nothing. He'd already given too much away by reacting to her.

"I think you are. And I gotta say, I'm jealous." She stepped closer, now touching distance of his chest. "I made a mistake, Jasper. A huge mistake."

"Yeah, you did. And you can't take me back. I'm happy, Maria. I'm clean. I'm employed. I'm making it."

"I could make you happier than her, if you let me."

"I think you should leave now."

"Just think about how good we used to be. How much we laughed. How good we used to fuck."

"That's such bullshit!" Jasper retorted. "You made me miserable! You made me think what we had was love, but it was just a game. I was your little puppet. I'd steal for you. You'd get me high. That's not a good basis for a relationship! I think the real reason you're here is because you found out I did better without you, and you can't stand it!"

Maria's hard eyes burned with rage. The conversation was not going to plan.

"Now, Jasper, I'm going to forgive you for talking to me like that because I surprised you tonight and you're tired. But I suggest you sleep on it and call me in the next couple of days." She pressed a business card and a small bag into his hand. "I know you, Jasper. I know how to get to you."

"And if I don't?"

"You're not the only one who dragged themselves out of the gutter, baby. I got connections now. People who help me get the things I want. And if I don't hear from you, I'll make sure they come and get you. Because I want you, Jasper. I may have set you free for a while, but you're coming back to me. Whether you like it or not."

With that parting shot, Maria flounced away into the night.

Jasper looked at the small bag in his hand.

_Heroin. Enough for three hits. Needles, syringe, spoon, foil, lighter. _

-cc-

Edward and Alice returned home on a different sort of high. Edward had had a great night DJ-ing. The crowd were buzzing and he had ended both his sets to standing ovations. Alice had basked in the joyful atmosphere and Edward's stellar music mixing skills; she had mingled with celebrities and done some epic networking in the VIP rooms, and couldn't wait to share with Jasper.

The lights were out as they walked in, which wasn't surprising as it was nearly five o' clock in the morning. Edward dived into the bathroom. Alice deposited the bag of bagels she'd picked up on the way home on the kitchen counter and started to slip her coat off before heading to her bedroom. _Jazzy will have warmed the bed for me. Yay!_

Suddenly she caught sight of a figure sitting on the couch in the darkness, and screamed.

"What? Alice!" Edward rushed out of the bathroom, jeans half undone, and flicked on the light. Both he and Alice sighed in relief as they saw that it was Jasper, but their relief was short-lived.

Jasper was sat bolt upright, tears streaming down his face, shivering and trembling.

"Jazzy? What's wrong? Please, tell me." Alice sat next to him.

He didn't answer but pointed to the small bag of drugs and paraphernalia on the coffee table. Edward sat down on his other side.

"Jasper, where did you get this?" Edward tried to suppress the feelings of disappointment that bubbled up through him. _Please don't relapse now, just as we're really making a name for ourselves._

"Maria."

"Maria, your ex?"

"She came around. She wants me back. She gave me that and told me to call her or else... or else..."

"Or else what, Jasper?" Edward demanded.

"Or else, she and her 'connections' will take me back. " He turned to Alice. "She knew about you, baby, by name. She's evil and she's toxic and the worst thing is..."

"You were tempted?" Jasper caught the uncertainty in Alice's voice. Alice had never had a significant relationship before Jasper and it unnerved her that he had.

"By the drugs, not her, baby." He replied, although he was aware that it was only a small reassurance. "She knows me. She knows that if she hooks me up again, she'll have complete control over me again."

"But Jazzy, you haven't taken any, have you? All the stuff in this bag is untouched."

"But I couldn't bring myself to get rid of it, either."

"Be proud of what you did achieve, Jasper," encouraged Edward. "It could have been so easy to shoot up with neither Alice nor me here, but you didn't."

"I came really close."

"What are we going to do?"

"Maria says she has 'connections'? Well, so do we! Demetri! The Volturi Brothers. We need to show them what we're up against and have them help us."

"But Edward, Maria's connections are drug dealers, criminals, pimps. Real bad-ass." Jasper's tone was despairing.

"And you think the Volturis are squeaky clean? They might all be reputable businessmen now, but it's a truth universally unacknowledged that they started out in some seriously questionable lines of work."

"I don't know if this is something we should get involved in, Edward."

"Alice, we already are involved. I won't have some ho-bag drug-dealing bitch trying to break my best friends and ruin everything we've worked for. The Volturis have invested in us. They won't want anyone to mess with their investment."

"OK, call Demetri. I'm taking Jazzy to bed."

Jasper didn't protest. And whilst he and Alice fell asleep in each other's arms, Edward contacted Demetri, who promised to help.

The next day, after Jasper had had a good night's sleep and a huge plate of his favourite banana pancakes, he had Alice and Edward witness the ceremonial dumping of the drugs down the toilet. Demetri came round later that day with Felix, the Volturi Brothers' head of security.

"You guys ain't gonna like what I'm about to say." After he had heard everything about Jasper's dealings with Maria, Felix's tone was brusque.

"What?" ventured Jasper warily.

"We could protect you, but it's gonna involve 24/7 guards, and the Bosses, they ain't gonna like that too much."

"Explain, please." Edward begged.

"This Maria Gonzalez, she's the girlfriend of one of the biggest drug dealers in the city, Vlad. Nobody knows his real name. He's just Vlad. She runs a lucrative side business pimping out teenage crack whores to visiting businessmen. Now, my bosses, they got a lot of clout, but it's gonna take them a while to get the message through to this Vlad guy that his girlfriend can't have Jasper as a plaything, and in the meantime, you're at risk."

"It's not that Aro and Marcus don't wanna protect you, but whilst you're under protection, you ain't makin' them money." Demetri added. "You wouldn't be able to promote your records, talent scout, DJ, do anything in the public eye without a bodyguard each."

"Great! So what do we do now?" cried Edward in frustration.

"Felix, how far does Maria's influence stretch? Do she and Vlad have contacts nationally? Internationally?" Alice enquired, an idea forming in her mind.

"Nah, as far as we're aware, it's just New York and Jersey."

"So, if we based ourselves elsewhere, and continued to make Aro and Marcus money, they would still honour their investment?

"Sure, as long as you get them the return they're expecting over the five year loan agreement."

"If you left the city, it would buy us time to sort out the Vlad and Maria issue. Yours isn't the only business they've caused us problems with." Felix stated. "Best you aren't around, in case things get ugly."

"Alice, baby?"

"So, where's the biggest hub for dance and urban music outside of NYC?" Her question was rhetorical.

"London." Edward replied regardless, his stomach lurching slightly. _London. England. Home. Bella. No. _

"So let's take our two million dollar loan and work it in London."

"What, up sticks? Just like that?"

"Yep."

"Alice, I don't know..." Edward began to protest, but as he saw Jasper relax his shoulders and smile for the first time since Maria turned up, he stopped.

_Home it is._

-cc-

* * *

**AN: The posting schedule for the next two chapters is going to be fortnightly, I'm afraid, thanks to the aforementioned real life craziness. However, things should be back to normal in May! Sorry for any inconvenience. **

**CC xxx**


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: Hi everyone and welcome to my new followers! Thanks for all the reviews and sorry for not replying. My real life is still crazy but I've managed to find a moment to post this chapter. I'll still be posting another chapter on Sunday evening. **

**Good news! ****_Fortune Favours the Bold _****has been nominated for The Lemonade Stand's Fic of the Week! Absolutely huge thanks go to Evilnat for doing the nomination! Big virtual hugs being sent your way! Please vote! **

**www *dot* tehlemonadestand *dot* net**

**Big virtual hugs also go to my wonderful pre-reader and beta, SunflowerFran3759, who has been a total rock! Thank you lovely lady! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. The song lyrics in this chapter come from the mesmerising Jessie Ware track, _Sweet Talk, _from the album _Devotion_. I borrowed them because they're awesome. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen**

Late June 2012

Five days had elapsed since the awkward meeting between Edward and Bella, and her acceptance of a trial-run as resident lyricist for AJE Records. Today was her first day on the job.

"How are you feeling?" Rosalie asked, as she pulled into a parking space. They had put Gemma and George into the school's Breakfast Club and gotten to The Elizabeth Studios at 8 o'clock so Rosalie could show Bella around.

"OK."

"Sure?"

"Rosie."

"Sorry."

"It's fine. I've spent the week psyching myself up for the awkwardness."

"Maybe he'll be nice. Pleasant."

"He'll be _civil,_ but Edward can't do fake niceness. And from the look on his face when we met, he's still bitter about how things ended."

"But when he finds out about what really happened...?"

"Rosalie, you didn't see his face when he saw me in Esme's kitchen. He's just going to tolerate me enough for us to write tracks together. Right now, I daren't hope that we'll ever get to the position where we can sit down and just talk, and I'm not going to push it. I'm leaving it with him. If he approaches me, of course I'll tell him, but I'm not going to make things more difficult for both of us by initiating this massive, painful conversation which lays us both bare."

Rosalie wanted to disagree. She wanted to shake both Bella and Edward and tell them that they were both being idiots, that they needed to talk things through and resolve the past. For that matter, she wanted to shout from the rooftops her apologies for fucking up their relationship, so that all of them could move on. _If I'd known how much I was going to like Emmett, I'd have put Bella on the plane with Edward myself_. As if on cue, her phone beeped.

"All right, let's go inside. I think we've got about half an hour before everyone else comes in."

"Including Jessica?"

"Yes." Jessica was staying in the on-site staff accommodation, and it was her first day at AJE as well.

They exited the car and Rosalie ushered her sister inside. Bella's jaw dropped as she took in the old brick walls juxtaposed against modern glass and striking contemporary lighting features. _And this is just the reception area?_

"Holy wow, this place is so plush!"

"Yep."

Whilst Bella took in her new surroundings, Rosalie surreptitiously checked her phone.

**_Morning, gorgeous girl, how's things? In court today but call you at lunch? Miss sound of your voice. Em x_**

"Interesting text?"

"What, yeah, it was just Vera." Rosalie tucked her phone into her jacket pocket. "Let me show you the offices."

-cc-

Edward hadn't slept very well. He had stayed up the night before to go over the music he had written for Bree, and then he read the small collection of Bella's poetry about a hundred times.

_I can do this. I can do this. I can do this._

At half past eight, he left his cottage on the studio grounds and started walking towards the main building.

"Edward! Hey, Mr Cullen!"

Edward turned around to see Jessica bounding towards him. She was dressed in tight black jeans, oversized, red silk shirt, spike-heeled, grey ankle boots and copious amounts of black and silver jewellery. Her platinum blonde curls bounced in a high ponytail.

"Good morning. Excited for your first day?"

"Yes! I have such a good feeling! It's going to be ace!"

"Glad to hear it," he replied, grinning at her energy and extraversion. "You're going to spend this morning with Charles and Makenna learning about the ins and outs of the recording studio, and then you and I can catch up at lunch."

"Sounds good. I'm sure my cousins won't mind."

"Your cousins?"

"You know, Rosalie on reception, and Bella, your new lyricist!"

"They're your cousins?"

"Yeah!" Jessica exclaimed. "Cool, huh? See you later!"

"See you later." Edward murmured, waiting until she disappeared before rolling his eyes to the skies.

_Someone up there really hates me. _

-cc-

Bella was already in the AJE Records' 'brainstorming room,' re-reading Bree Tanner's artist profile, when Edward came in with Mike, Alice and Eric, as well as Tia and Benjamin from his production team. Unlike her cousin, she was dressed simply, in a thin, navy blue, wraparound cardigan over a long cream t-shirt and tight dark blue trousers. She wore simple cream ballet pumps on her feet. The outfit was designed to be subtle and demure, but it only emphasised her long legs, narrow waist and pert cleavage, which, close up, looked a little larger than his memory. The only jewellery she wore were a pair of simple, small, silver filigree hoop earrings. _Fuck, I gave her those. _Her dark hair fell down her back to her waist, constrained into a French braid.

Edward's heart pounded in his ears and he nearly ran back out of the room.

_No. _

_This is a means to an end. Bree's album. High quality track production. AJE needs her. I don't. Even if she looks so unbelievably beautif... stop it Edward!_

Bella wasn't faring much better with the nerves, but was managing to keep a lid on them. She wasn't at all surprised that her body had a visceral reaction to the sight of him walking through the door. Edward at nineteen had been a very good-looking kid, but Edward at thirty-one was a mouth-droppingly, stomach-tighteningly, thigh-slickeningly handsome man.

"Bella."

"Edward."

"Right! We all set?" asked Alice, gesturing for everyone to sit down at the table. Bella felt a shock of despair as Edward waited until she sat down and took a seat as far away as possible from her.

"I've preloaded the tracks," replied Mike, adjusting the settings on the sound system.

"Great, before we do that, though, let me do some introductions. Everyone, this is Bella Swan, our new lyricist. She is an experienced freelance features write**r,** but also a very talented poet. Some of you have had the privilege of reading her sample poems so you can appreciate how lucky we are to have her." Alice ignored Bella's blush and proceeded to introduce the rest of the people around the table. "And of course you know Edward."

"Of course." Bella turned towards him. "So, um, how do you want to do this?"

"We thought that we would play you one of my pieces a few times, and see what you come up with," answered Edward, forcing himself to look at her instead of the table. "We'd like to get a feel for how you work, I guess." As Bella looked back at him with her doe-like dark brown eyes, Edward felt the familiar pull to her immediately.

_Yes, I know how you work. I doubt it's any different. _

"Sure. It's also possible that one of my existing poems could be adjusted or adapted," she agreed. She picked up a folder in front of her. "I brought my collection."

"Great!" enthused Alice. "Mike?"

Mike hit 'play.' Bella heard the whole piece and then asked to hear it again. On the second run, she started making notes on the rhythm and beat, and how the piece made her feel. On the third, she started writing down words that came into her mind, and on the fourth, she started linking them up.

"Sorry to be a pain, but one more time, please?"

"That's fine, Bella. Nobody expects you to come up with something today. We just wanted to get a feel for your creative process."

"Thanks Alice." She snuck a glance at Edward, who was making notes of his own on his jotter.

On the next play of the music, Bella wrote furiously to bring together the words on her page into a song.

"Again, Bella?" asked Mike, when the music came to an end.

"No thanks. I've got something." Edward looked up sharply, startling her slightly. "Um, it's just a rough draft but let me know if you like it, if you think it will fit the artist. It might need an extra verse or two, but I can add those later."

She pushed her notepad towards Edward and Alice, who were sitting next to each other.

_I thought you knew,_

_I had to stay away from you_

_I thought you heard,_

_Yeah still you have the power_

_You can't be here_

_How long 'til you disappear_

_Don't wanna be the last one here_

_But you give me the sweet talk_

_And it works for me_

_And it's the sweet words that pull me in_

_I know I'm the weak one, and I won't say no_

_You give me a reason, so I never go_

_Don't keep me with the kisses,_

_There's never any doubt when I need you_

_It's just that you can always make me feel like I am slipping in way too deep_

_And let the shadows hope to hide or break the dreaming, dreaming of us_

_And if I keep slipping in, just keep up with the talking_

_Know that I'm with you, I'm not about to go_

_But you give me the sweet talk _

_And it works for me_

_And it's the sweet words that pull me in_

_I know I'm the weak one, and I won't say no_

_You give me a reason, so I never go_

_So many moments we waste_

_Too many heartbeats away_

_So many moments we waste_

_Too many heartbeats away_

Edward and Alice read the words twice, looked at each other, looked at the page again and then, finally at Bella, who was gnawing at her bottom lip anxiously.

They both had the same thought. _If this sounds as good as it reads, we've hit solid gold._

Alice was grinning, but Edward couldn't bring himself to do the same, still struggling to get his head around just being in the same room as Bella.

"Alice, would you mind singing it out? I'd like to see how they go together."

"Sure, Edward. Mike, please start the track? I'll start on four."

Alice took a deep breath, and Mike started the track; on four, she began to sing. The rest of the room was silent as she went through the track. Edward kept looking down at his page to make notes, but nothing came to him. It didn't need to. It was perfect.

When it came to an end, Edward had a lump in his throat.

"So, um, what do you think?" Bella asked. "It sounded all right to me on the run through, but of course I'm not the expert..."

"Bella, it's exactly what we're after! Thank you!" Alice gushed, sitting next to her and hugging her.

"Edward?"

Bella wouldn't believe it until he agreed.

"Alice is right. Thank you..." he had to stop himself calling her 'love.' "...Bella."

"Boss, sorry, but we've got those new artist meetings in ten minutes," Eric reminded Alice.

"Yes, and we've got that conference call, Edward." Mike added.

"Bella, are you all right to do what you just did with the next two tracks, and email us your ideas?" asked Alice.

"That's fine. It may take me longer, depending on the tracks, their complexity, whether I can get a feel for it or not."

"Whatever you can do would be fine, Bella," Edward echoed coolly before getting up. Everyone else apart from Bella followed suit. It was only when they left that Bella allowed herself a small smile at her success, but the feeling went away as she recalled Edward's impassive face.

-cc-

Rosalie's mobile phone rang at exactly midday. Her heart leapt into her chest. _Emmett. _The reception area was quiet so she picked up the call.

_"Hi gorgeous."_

"Hey yourself. I can't talk for long though. Bella's going to be done any minute for lunch."

_"I just wanted to hear your voice. I missed talking to you over the weekend."_

"Um, me too. Sorry, but George had a football tournament on the Saturday and Gemma had a spelling competition on Sunday, and..."

_"Rosalie, it's OK. Of course the kids come first. I'm just happy for what I can get."_

"Emmett..."

_"Look, um, fuck, I'm just going to ask... is there any way we could meet up? I just want to see you, even just for a coffee or a drink."_

"I'd love to..." Rosalie sighed. He hadn't asked since their first meeting. He hadn't been pushy in the slightest. They had spoken every night, and found that they had so much in common.

_"But...?"_

"I'm not ready to share this, _us,_ with Bella yet so I don't want to ask her to babysit."

_"It's her first day today, right? How's she doing?"_

"Nervous. How was Edward?"

_"He wouldn't talk about it, which means he's nervous as fuck," _Emmett replied. "_Rosalie, one day soon, will you tell me what happened? The Bella I remember, she was as head over heels in love with Edward as he was with her. They were so happy. They had this intense bond. I never really got it, you know, until I met you. Why didn't she come that day?"_

Rosalie felt regret rise within her. She was still coming to terms with Bella's revelations and the guilt over her role in initiating her sister's misery.

"Honestly, Emmett, I can't tell you yet. Bella only told me the details last week and I can barely get my head round it." _Plus, I'm sure you'll never want anything to do with me when you find out what I did._

_"I get that. But maybe one day? When we're closer? _

"One day," she agreed.

"_Now, about that drink?"_

Let me think of something, all right?"

_"All right. Talk to you tonight?"_

"You can count on it, handsome." She heard footsteps in the corridor behind the reception area. "I need to go now though."

_"OK, Rosalie. Bye, love."_

He hung up and Rosalie shivered.

_He called me 'love.' I used to think the term sounded bourgeois, but, God, how wrong was I. _Bella rounded the corner and smiled softly as she saw her sister. _How very, very wrong._

"How was your morning?"

"Good. I've managed to write two complete songs and am well on my way with a third."

"Great! And how was...?"

"Civil. Polite. As I expected."

"You OK?"

"Yes. It was hard, but I'm fine. I think that it will get easier the more time we spend together."

"Maybe it's not too late for you guys. Once you get talking, you never know..."

Jessica's loud giggling interrupted their quiet chat, followed by a low chuckle.

"Hi ladies," Edward greeted them as he and Jessica walked into the reception. "We're going for lunch at the pub. See you later."

Edward held the door for her and Jessica turned and gave her cousins a big grin before allowing him to usher her out, a hand in the small of her back.

"What the hell does he think he's playing at?!"

"He's taking her to lunch."

"He's rubbing it in your face, trying to make you jealous."

"He's not. Rosie, don't make this a big deal. I have no claim to him. I haven't for twelve years. He's free to take whoever he wants to lunch."

"Aren't you jealous?"

"I don't have the right to be jealous."

"That's not what I asked; she's our cousin, for fuck's sake! He's being an asshole!"

"Don't call him that!" Bella cried. "Look, I don't want to talk about this anymore. Not here." Bella hugged herself to stop the trembling. _Of course I'm jealous; I'm heartbroken. But Jessica's a great looking girl. Fun, bubbly, everything I'm not. What did I expect?_ "Look, I'm hungry. Can we eat now?"

-cc-

Over the next few days, Bella wrote like a demon. She tended to spend the mornings at The Elizabeth Studios writing and showing Edward and Alice her words. They would then adjust and modify the lyrics as necessary. Edward and Bella never spent any time alone together, which was deliberate on both their parts.

Bella would then return home in the afternoons, writing for her creative blog, especially her serial story 'Arden's Delights,' which was gathering more and more readers every day. She would then pick up the twins and spend time with them until Rosalie returned home. And if she wasn't working in the pub, she would then spend the evenings writing poetry, lyrics and short stories. Her generous salary from AJE Records meant that she could give up working at The Stag, but she promised her boss Harry that she would stay for a month until he could train up another barmaid.

Edward continued to show Jessica a lot of attention. When she spent time with Rosalie and Bella, Jessica gushed about how handsome Edward was, how sweet he was acting and that she was sure he was going to ask her out on a proper date sometime; she remained oblivious to her cousins' sour expressions. When it was just the two of them, Rosalie tried to talk to Bella about it, but was repeatedly shut down.

Rosalie was still trying to work out a way to meet Emmett surreptitiously, when circumstance helped her out.

"Angela and I are going to have a girls' night in at her house tonight," Bella told her sister on Friday lunchtime. "Want to come? She's said we can crash in her spare room so we can both have a drink."

"Huh? What about Gemma and George?"

"Have you forgotten? They're sleeping over at Vera's tonight. She's taking them to the zoo first thing tomorrow morning with Henry, remember?"

"That's this weekend?"

"Yeah.

So? Girls' night?"

"No Jessica to entertain?"

"She's going to some music festival in a field in Wales for the weekend. She's bought new hot pink Welly boots especially."

"To each their own." Rosalie couldn't thing of many things worse than spending the weekend knee deep in mud. "You know, I think I'm going to take advantage of the house to myself. Hope you don't mind?"

"No, of course not, enjoy. I'm going to head out now, pick the kids up and after I've taken them to Vera's, I'll go straight to Angela's, so I probably won't see you until tomorrow."

"OK then." Rosalie leant over the reception desk and kissed her sister on the cheek. "See you later."

As soon as Bella was out of sight, Rosalie picked up her mobile phone.

**Free tonight? R x**

**_Sure. Call you at 10ish? Em x_**

**Not call. To see me. Kids and Bella at sleepovers. R x**

**_For real? Time and place, gorgeous, time and place! Em x_**

**My house. 7pm. Address to follow. R x**

**_I'll be there. Can't wait. Em x_**

Rosalie's stomach fluttered and tightened with anticipation.

**Me neither. R x**

-cc-

Edward sat on his office sofa with a beer, listening to the tracks that the collaboration with Bella had produced so far. In Alice's voice, they were tremendous, even in rough form. He had played the first track, _Sweet Talk_, to Bree and her manager Diego in Northern Ireland, and both had squealed down the phone in excitement. They had agreed to come over in a few weeks to do some preliminary recording, and Bree had begged to meet Bella.

Despite the ongoing whirlwind of feelings that he had to deal with each time he saw her, it was getting easier to work with Bella. She was her usual quiet, polite self. She didn't make any reference to their past history or share any information about her life over the previous twelve years, nor did she ask him anything personal.

_She's moved on and so have I. _

Edward thought about Jessica. She was so different compared to Bella. Outgoing, confident, fun, impulsive, light, but bright too. She had grasped the tasks she had been given easily. He liked her, and wondered if, in time, it might lead to something more than just flirtation, although for the time being, he didn't want to take things further.

Just then, Mike walked in carrying a stack of paperwork, and deposited it on the coffee table.

"What are these?"

"Quarterly reports, production agreements and royalty logs. You need to go through, check and approve them all," replied his assistant tersely.

"Tonight?"

"By the 8th of July."

"Damn it Mike! Five working days? It's going to take me fucking ages. You couldn't have given them to me earlier?" Mike shrugged.

"When exactly, Edward? You've either been in meetings, in the brainstorming room with Alice and Bella, in the recording studio or out to lunch..." Mike didn't add the '_with Jessica,' _although he thought it, over and over. Jealousy simmered inside him, for Mike adored the vivacious, pretty new intern, and it was finally seeping out in his lack of patience and snappy attitude, both highly uncharacteristic of him.

"Mike?"

"Sorry, it's been a long week."

"You're right. Go, chill out. I'll see you next week, minus the attitude, OK?"

"OK, Boss."

Mike departed quickly, and Edward shook his head in confusion at Mike's unusual behaviour. He picked up the first report, opened it and then flung it across the room.

"What did that report ever do to you?" Alice asked, walking in.

"Mike just dumped them here. He must have been holding onto them all week. So I'm pissed, probably more at his brusque manner than anything else."

"God, you're such a douche."

"What?"

"Firstly, it's not Mike's responsibility to remind you to review those reports. It's your responsibility to remember and have him sort your schedule out to give you time to review them. You know this, Edward. Nobody ever had to remind you before we moved here."

"I suppose. And what else is making me a douche, Alice?" he sighed.

"Jessica? You said when we hired her that the flirting in the interview would be the end of it. But this whole week, you've been all over her. Long lunches, giggling in the coffee room, the little touches."

"It's harmless, Alice. It doesn't mean anything."

"I can guarantee you that Jessica is in that mud pit in Wales telling all her friends and everyone who can listen that famous producer Edward Cullen is 'like, totally hot for me.' She's twenty-one. She's your ex-girlfriend's cousin, and our intern. Surely you can appreciate how fucked up this could get."

"It's absolutely nothing; it's just a bit of banter. I like Jessica. She's fun."

"God, I've never met anyone who excels in denial as much as you! You like Jessica because she's the antithesis of Bella, just like all those other bubbly blondes. It's really mean Edward, to flirt so blatantly in front of Bella, especially if you're not really into Jessica. It's like you're going out of your way to make Bella suffer."

"You done with the psychoanalytic bullshit?" he muttered, trying to contain himself from lashing out. He knew better than to escalate an argument with Alice. She would always win.

"I'm done. But you're playing with fire if you keep up this thing with Jessica."

-cc-

By the time 7pm rolled around, Rosalie had tidied up the house, changed her outfit five times before settling on a seemingly-casual cobalt-blue sleeveless jersey maxi dress and denim waistcoat, put wine in the fridge and reapplied her make-up.

At 7.01, the doorbell rang.

"Hi." Emmett stood at the door, still in his suit from work. "You look gorgeous, gorgeous." He stepped forward and kissed her on the cheek, softly.

"Thanks."

Rosalie showed him inside and they settled on the sofa with glasses of wine. Rosalie suddenly felt very nervous, and Emmett picked up on it.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"Yes, um, just... it's been a long time since I did this' the dating thing."

"I told you, I can do slow, although it still astounds me that nobody has managed to snap you up."

"I haven't let anyone get close since my ex. I've been asked out plenty, but I've never really been interested enough before to actually follow through. Most of them were idiots, guys I'd never let round my kids. And any that I might have considered decent, ran away when I told them about Gemma and George."

"Their loss, my gain; I hope!" Emmett took her hand.

"You're doing all right so far..." she murmured, turning their joined hands over and tickling his palm.

"Glad to hear it. Rosalie, this past couple of weeks I've felt closer to you just talking and texting than I have to any girl in a very long time, perhaps ever. And even though you've not spoken about him at all, it doesn't take a genius to work out that your ex hurt you really badly," Emmett spoke tentatively but edged closer. "I can't imagine that any man who could leave _you_ and your babies is a man worthy of you anyway."

"He wasn't. And he certainly doesn't deserve to be the father of such wonderful kids. I'm so blessed to have them, Emmett. They are my world, so you can understand why I need to be careful," Rosalie explained. "And, God, I don't even want to start on the situation between Edward and Bella, and how complicated and messed up that is."

"Too right it's complicated, but I don't want it to cloud this thing between us. Whatever happened between them is between them," he responded, although another barb of guilt hit him. _I should have told him about Bella turning up on 9/11._ "And as for Gemma and George, it makes you even more appealing in my eyes to see that you're an amazing mother who's brought up two kids alone whilst working, sacrificing so much for them."

Rosalie looked away, finding his attention a little overwhelming. He leaned forward and tipped her face up with a finger before brushing her loose hair back a little.

"I wouldn't have been able to do it if it weren't for Bella. When my husband left, she gave up her dream of a prestigious creative writing course, and moved back to help me raise them."

"That sounds like the Bella I remember," he reflected. "Who knew that she had such an amazing, gorgeous, stunning, beautiful sister? I wish I'd met you then."

"Me too..." Rosalie's words tailed off as her hazel-brown eyes locked with Emmett's blue-greens. Her breath hitched and she heard his do the same. Caught up in each other's gaze, they both suddenly closed the distance between them.

Emmett's hands closed in around her waist, and Rosalie pulled him closer by his shirt so that their mouths collided in a messy but delectable mash of lips and teeth and tongues, which ended with Rosalie on top of Emmett and both of them gasping and panting.

"Holy fuck! That was..."

"I know!"

"Not exactly what I meant by slow, but awesome. Wow!"

"Again?"

"Yes please!"

-cc-

* * *

**AN: The next update should be on Sunday evening. **


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: Firstly I have to throw out a massive THANK YOU to rushed, who recommended ****_Fortune Favours the Bold _****on her own story ****_The American President _****this week. So many of her followers stopped by and as a result, I've had over a hundred people add the story to their lists, and an extra fifty reviews! Thank you to all of you too. I'm so pleased you all like the story. **

**Of course, another huge thank you has to go to my awesome pre-reader and beta SunflowerFran3759, whose advice and support has been invaluable! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons.**

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen**

July 2012

Just three weeks had passed since Bella began working at AJE Records as their resident lyricist. All ten tracks for Bree's album had been written, edited and tested, and she was due to start the first phase of recording it that very day. Edward, seeing how quickly Bella could work, set about writing more music, and Bella duly wrote lyrics to match. Their collaboration was very successful and had resulted in a big collection of songs being written, all of which went into AJE's generic song library. They would either be used for their own artists in the future, or sold to other artists and producers. However, Bella and Edward continued to spend only minimal amounts of time together in the same room, and they always avoided being alone with each other.

Jasper and Alice continued to remain concerned about the amount of time Edward was spending with Jessica, although he had somewhat toned down the flirting. Alice had come to think of both Rosalie and Bella as friends, and it pained her to see Bella's hurt face whenever her young cousin walked into meetings giggling and clutching onto Edward's arm. In getting to know her, she understood exactly why Edward had fallen for Bella so many years previously.

Despite her shyness, Bella was smart, had a sharp sense of humour and was utterly kind and pure of heart, not to mention delicate, endearing and enticingly girl-next-door pretty. Bella wore her heart on her sleeve; it was plainly obvious to all those who knew of her previous relationship with Edward, that she was still head-over-heels in love with him, except Edward himself.

Bella was far from being assuaged by Edward flirting less in public with Jessica. She took it to mean that in private, he and her cousin were getting closer, which left her despairing. She loved coming to work because she got to see him, but hated it because she believed that he wanted to be with Jessica.

Mike and Bella had become friends, something that had not escaped Edward's notice, as they shared several common interests. Mike also had an English Literature degree, and they liked the same poets, plays and art. Mike thought that Bella was attractive but was head over heels for Jessica. However, he didn't know how to compete for her attention with his suave, handsome and successful boss.

"Bree, Diego, welcome to The Elizabeth Studios. It's so great to see you again."

"Thank you, Alice. I'm so excited to be here," replied Bree in her lilting Northern Irish accent, looking every bit as cherubic as Alice had described to Bella. She was about Bella's height, and slender, with dark brown-black wavy hair, green eyes and the rosiest complexion. "I love the tracks you've played me so far."

"This is Bella Swan, our lyricist," Jasper added, gesturing at Bella. "She's the one we have to thank, darlin', for making Edward's music come alive."

"Bella, it's grand to meet you!" Bree surprised Bella by getting up and hugging her, before moving to Edward and hugging him too. "Thank you both so much!"

"You're welcome," replied Edward. "Now, do you want to have a break and get settled into the apartment or would you like to get started?"

"I'd like to get started, please! I can't wait!"

After just some preliminary recording of _Sweet Talk, _Alice, Jasper and Edward realised that they were sitting on a track which had the potential to be a global, smash hit single. Bree and Diego agreed.

"Even without the production, the acoustic version is better than I thought it could be!" Bree enthused. "I want to perform it. I want to belt it out on stage. I want people to dance to it in clubs. I want to hear it on the radio!"

"I know that the plan was to release the first single in November, with the album being launched just after Christmas, but do you think that if we could get a recording of _Sweet Talk_ up to scratch quickly, we could release it as a single earlier?" Diego asked.

"It'd mean long days though, to get the vocals and the production as slick as possible. Bree, I get the feeling you're up for that, however" Edward replied.

"Totally!"

"It's not just the recording. We would need to promote it heavily. Flood radio airplay, TV and radio appearances, social media, concerts, gigs up and down the country. The schedule will be relentless, but it's required if you want a top ten hit," Alice pointed out.

"I do! And I'm prepared for it!"

"Bree, Diego, I got me an idea," Jasper's business brain was turning over at the rate of knots. "What if we released _Sweet Talk _as a three or four track EP? It would make us all money in the short term, and give you more of an income. It would also mean that when the album does come out, we aren't promoting you from the dark. It's a lot easier to get an artist off the ground if they've already got a following."

"We would need a completely new..." Edward's train of speech faltered as Bella entered the room with Mike, both smiling at a private joke. "... um, new track. Something spectacular, that would only be available on the EP and the limited edition of the album, but which would be the surprise hit. The one that goes viral on the internet, that makes money off of downloads, even if it never officially gets released as a single. Tracks like that are what cement an artist's positions as 'the one to watch.' They show that you're not just a one trick pony and are a serious, talented artist."

"What about one of the other tracks you and Bella wrote? One of the generic ones?" enquired Jasper.

"There's no doubt that you could make any of those tracks sound amazing, Bree. However, for an EP, I don't think any of the generic tracks Edward and I wrote would fit. The EP will be the first the public will have heard of you. You need an EP track that really shows off your range and skill," Bella piped up before Edward could say something similar. "The music Edward wrote for the album was designed for the unique pitch, tones and nuances of your voice, and the lyrics I wrote are tailored to his notes. The generic songs are designed for mass commercial appeal. I would be surprised if you would emotionally connect to the lyrics enough to feel truly comfortable with any of them on your record, Bree."

"Edward?" prompted Jasper.

"Um, yes. What Bella said," Edward agreed, his voice slightly hoarse. _There's the Bella I remember, the Bella who got me so implicitly. _"I guess, Bella, we could try to find time to write another...?"

"What about _Night Light, _Edward_?"_ Bella thought out loud. "It could be electric with Bree's voice if we adjusted the key and the tempo a little."

"I don't know. Um, that song, it's ..." He glanced right into her big brown eyes, almost for the first time since they'd started working together, and felt his gaze soften slightly as his heart skipped a beat.

_It's special._

"Yes it is..." Bella replied, answering the words he'd left unsaid. "But we always said that if the right one came along ..." _and Bree is the right singer._

"We did ... she could be ..." Edward murmured.

"We could just try it, acoustic first, and then layered with percussion, guitar and synth if you felt the track could take it."

As Bella and Edward conversed for the first time since they began their shaky partnership they were entirely wrapped up, unaware of the rest of the room watching them speak back and forth with fascination at their obvious chemistry.

"Yes, all right," he agreed.

Bella allowed herself the indulgence of holding his gaze for a split second before breaking away to talk to Bree.

"Sorry about that. Edward and I wrote a song a while back that needs, um, careful handling, but could be great for your EP."

"We could make up the _Sweet Talk _EP with a radio edit of the track, a live version and a club remix. If _Night Light_ is a good fit, then we could have it as a fourth, bonus track. If not, Bella and I could try to write something new," Edward suggested. The rest of the table murmured their approval.

"Bree?" Alice asked. "Ultimately, it's your decision."

Bree, enthusiastic and completely endeared to Bella in particular, wholeheartedly concurred.

"Let's do it!"

-cc-

Edward, along with the production team, worked flat out to get _Sweet Talk_ EP put together. Bree was an easy artist to work with; she was agreeable, had perfect pitch and took direction very well. Diego, her manager, although young, was professional and truly had her best interests at heart. _Sweet Talk _EP was recorded in just a few days, and included _Night Light. T_hey also made considerable headway on recording the main album, which would be released in November, and would be named after the next single, _Running, _derived from Bella's poem of the same name.

Bella refused to listen to the newly recorded _Night Light_ until Edward said he was happy with the track's production. When she finally did, the finished song was filled with intensity, love and devotion; exactly what she had been trying to convey when she wrote it so long ago. The music and the lyrics made her feel as though she was wrapped in a cocoon of warmth. Unsurprisingly, she cried her eyes out afterwards, grateful that she had chosen to listen to it in the privacy of her office.

While Edward put together the EP, Alice got together with AJE Records' London-based publicist and close friend, Liam Macdonald, to plan the aggressive marketing strategy. They started with social media to create some buzz, before releasing the club remix of _Sweet Talk _to DJs across the UK and Europe. It didn't take long before the track went viral across the dance clubs, and got picked up by urban radio stations. Alice then released the radio edited version of the song to commercial radio stations, and planned the publicity tour to coincide with the official release.

At the same time, Jasper was intrigued how prolific Edward and Bella's song writing partnership had become after just a few weeks. They appeared to feed off each other's presence, even though they hardly communicated directly. He was not an expert, but the tracks they had written sounded great to him, and if they sold, the money AJE would make off royalties would make them all, including Bella, very comfortable.

With that in mind, he suggested that AJE Records host a showcase in London featuring the tracks from the library of songs that Edward and Bella had written. They would be sung by AJE Records' artists, including Bree, as well as a collection of the industry's biggest and brightest artists. They would invite key members of the musical press as well as producers and financiers, and give away tickets in a competition to music bloggers. Alice loved the idea, thanked her husband in many, many different ways and made the showcase a highlight of Bree's publicity campaign

By early August, _Sweet Talk _was gathering momentum, and Alice, Jasper and Edward were about to decamp to London for three weeks for Bree's publicity campaign and the AJE Records' showcase. Jasper would not be working on the campaign and showcase directly, but he could never be parted from Alice for that long. Edward was going to do a series of guest DJ gigs in London clubs, where he too, would be promoting the record.

Alice wanted Bella to come to London as well, but she was reluctant at first.

"I just don't know what you'd need me for, and to be honest, I find London rather... overwhelming."

"Bella! We need you! Like, really, really need you!" Alice exclaimed. They were in the open plan kitchen/living area of Alice and Jasper's cottage. Alice was whirling like a dervish, packing suitcases for herself and Jasper, whilst Bella looked on in amazement. "We wouldn't have anything to release if it weren't for you taking Edward's music and setting it on fire! We'll get asked questions on your creative process and obviously I can't answer those 'cause I'm not you. We're trying to promote the label, our production outfit and your song writing skills as well as Bree's EP on this trip."

"I don't know..."

"Come on, please?! I think it's important for Bree, you know. This publicity stuff is going to be exhausting and she's gonna need pep talks from you to draw out the best from her performance."

"What about Rosalie?"

"What? The twins are going to day camp, play scheme, whatever you call it over here, and the studios are gonna be quiet so she won't be rushed off her feet."

"Let me check with her, OK?"

"By all means, but she'll say yes."

"You already spoke to her didn't you?"

"Yes I did, and she's all for you going!" Alice grinned. "Now, get your butt home and pack right this instant! We're leaving this afternoon at three sharp!"

"Not right this instant. I'm meeting Esme first. Since starting this job I've hardly seen her. But don't worry. I'll be ready to leave at three."

-cc-

Rosalie and Emmett were firmly ensconced in a passionate, clandestine affair, driven by mutual lust, adoration and a secret love of 1970s disco music, superhero TV shows and action movies. Getting together wasn't easy. They agreed that until they were sure of their own relationship, they would not talk about Edward and Bella's, then or now, and they would not share theirs with their fragile siblings. Therefore they snatched moments at lunchtimes, met for brief encounters in each other's cars, or sometimes, when Bella was working at The Stag and the twins were in bed, Emmett would sneak over for an hour or two.

Emmett's office in Leamington Spa was sweltering hot thanks to broken air conditioning, and he had a three hour meeting to get through. All his employees were wilting like dead flowers.

"Come on guys, I know it's hot, but the sooner we get through this, the sooner we can get out of here and find a vat of ice or something!" he exclaimed, rolling up his sleeves and wiping away the sweat at the back of his neck with a handkerchief.

"Right! Fraud team! Case updates! Go!"

"We're cooking on gas, boss!" replied Jared Martin, who was leading the fraud team. We've managed to process fourteen of the thirty pending cases, which have led to ten new arrests, and we now have eight prosecutions awaiting trial dates."

"Great stuff! Well done!" Emmett was a very positive boss. "Any progress on the King case? Anyone finally managed to track down his wife?

Jared mumbled that it had mainly been the newer, smaller cases that had been sorted out and that they were still stuck. There was a moment of awkward silence.

"Actually, I made a bit of a breakthrough," Seth Clearwater, his most junior prosecutor piped up.

"Oh?"

"Well, we had been stumped because Royce King's wife had been listed on the paperwork we have as Rosie King, but there was no record of a Rosie King living in the area. Even when we expanded the search nationwide, there was no trace of her. Coupled with missing victim statements and the disappearance of King in 2005, we were struggling to see how we could build a case at all."

"Please, get to the point Seth, please."

"I decided to see if I could drag up the marriage certificate, to see if it might give names of parents or witnesses who might be able to help. Thanks to a very helpful lady in the Hatches, Matches and Despatches* office, I managed to procure the certificate, including Rosie King's full name, Rosalie Lillian King, nee Swan."

Emmett nearly choked on the sip of water he'd just taken, but somehow managed to maintain his composure.

"R-right. And so now you have names, addresses etc."

"Yes. She still lives in Stratford with two children. We went round yesterday but she was out and the neighbour wouldn't speak to us, so we're going to try again."

"Excellent work, Seth, keep it up," Emmett tried to sound upbeat, but the implications of Seth's detective work were far reaching. _I'm in love with her, and she's a witness in one of our active cases. How can life be so unfair? _ "Maybe try again tomorrow, eh? Interviewing her after so many years is going to be tough. You'll want to be fresh for it."

"OK, boss!"

"Look guys, I can tell that you're all dying here. I'm struggling too," Emmett told his staff. "Let's call it a day. We'll pick up again tomorrow morning, bright and breezy. Hopefully the AC will be fixed this evening."

The entire office sighed in relief and dissipated before Emmett could change his mind.

Emmett had no intention of doing any such thing. He grabbed his briefcase and his jacket, and, knowing that the studios were practically deserted with AJE's mass exodus to London, drove straight there to talk to Rosalie.

-cc-

Bella turned up at Riverview Place less than half an hour after her conversation with Alice.

"Bella, come in!" Esme's initial sickliness at the start of her pregnancy was now gone and Bella observed that her dear friend looked positively radiant, although she wasn't really showing yet.

Esme had made tea and some sandwiches for them and they began chatting idly about knitting, Carlisle, baking and Esme's work.

"So how are you finding it, working at AJE?" Esme asked eventually. "It sounds like you've been working very hard."

"It hasn't felt that way. I get to do what I love every day, and it's great to be in such a buzzing atmosphere."

"And how has it been, working with Edward?"

Bella blushed deeply. She had been waiting for the topic of Edward to come up.

"Um, yeah, it's been fine."

_Don't be a coward, Bella. _

"Look, Esme, I'm so sorry about not being forthcoming with you about knowing Edward and our past, um, relationship. Things ended very badly between us and you were so lovely to me when we met, and I really wanted your friendship and..."

"Bella, please! I understand. And Edward never mentioned it either. You've become such a dear friend to me; one of my closest, and that isn't going to change."

Reassured, Bella got up and gave her friend a warm hug.

"You really are the best, Esme!"

-cc-

Rosalie was virtually the only person left in the building when Emmett arrived. With no artists booked and half the production and marketing team going to London en masse with Alice, Jasper, Edward and Bella, the rest of the staff had taken the afternoon off.

"Hello, Mr Cullen. To what do we owe this pleasure?" she asked as he approached, before realising that he looked red-faced and quite stressed. "Hey, are you OK?"

"Not really, gorgeous, I really need to talk to you. Now."

"OK. Let me close up the front and we can talk until I have to go pick the twins up from play scheme."

"Great."

Once she'd put the shutters down, Rosalie showed Emmett through to Bella's office. It was at the end of the corridor, and hardly anybody ventured down that far.

"What's wrong, handsome?" she asked as they sat down together on the tub sofa in one corner of the room. "You look really stressed."

Emmett rubbed his temples. Rosalie took over, caressing the sides of his face with her fingers.

"God, you doing that is going to make what I'm about to say so much harder..."

Rosalie stopped stroking his skin.

"What?"

"I really don't want to do this, Rosalie, but circumstances..."

"Are you breaking up with me?" She asked icily.

"Rose..."

"Are. You. Breaking. Up. With. Me. Emmett?"

"I have to," he whispered.

"Why?"

"I-I can't tell you." He started to get up.

"No. NO!" Rosalie grabbed his arm and pulled him back down. "If you think I'm accepting a break-up with no idea why, then you've got another thing coming, mister! You're the one who pursued me, remember? Now, what, you decide that it's too much hard work? I told you up front that it wouldn't be easy. And now, just when things are starting to get good, you want to pull the plug?!"

"I don't want to pull the plug! I _have to! _There's a big fucking difference! If I had my way, I'd see you all day, every day! I'd go to bed with you, wake up with you... fuck, I, I..."

"WHAT?"

"I LOVE YOU!"

Rosalie's mouth dropped open in surprise and she let go of his arm. Emmett, shocked by his own outburst, got up and fled.

It took Rosalie only about five seconds to recompose herself and she went tearing after him into the car park.

"Wait! Emmett!"

She caught up with him just as he was getting into his car; a sleek gunmetal grey Audi A5. When he finally looked at her, it was through misted eyes. She ran into his arms and he held her for dear life.

"Oh, gorgeous girl, I'm sorry. Things just got really complicated," he murmured into her hair before kissing her temple.

"Talk to me. Emmett, please. You can't just tell me that you love me but have to break up with me all in one go, and then walk away. Whatever's going on, we'll find a way. We have to, because I..." a hot tear worked its way down a normally cool and unflappable Rosalie's cheek. "...I love you too."

"You do?"

"I do. I want this to be more. I want to tell our families. I want you to meet Gemma and George. They'll love you."

"OK, have you got time?"

Rosalie pulled out her mobile phone.

"Hi Vera, sorry to disturb you, but could I ask you a massive favour? Would you be able to pick the twins up from play scheme at four o'clock and keep them for an hour or two? Bit of an emergency here... thanks V, you're an absolute star. Love you, bye!"

"Why don't we head back inside?"

Rosalie led him back to Bella's office and after they'd both calmed down, he began.

"I don't really talk about my work with you because there are so many better things to talk about when we're together," he began, eliciting a small smile from Rosalie. "But my job means that I oversee all the on-going criminal cases in the area, including some that are really, really old."

"What's that got to do with me?"

"One of the oldest cases in the pile is _Regina vs_ Royce Adam King. I only found out today that he's your husband. You didn't want to talk about him so we didn't."

"Ex-husband," she corrected. "I divorced him after the statutory five years apart. And I say again, what's that got to do with me? With us? Royce is long gone. He's abroad somewhere, along with the money."

"Who told you that?"

"Billy Black."

"Billy Black, my predecessor, the man who took over from your father as Chief Prosecutor?"

"The one and only. He's my father's best friend. Obviously, when Royce stole from our family, Dad was classed as a victim so couldn't have anything to do with bringing the case to prosecution. Billy promised to do everything he could to nail the bastard, but after a few months, he said that we'd probably never get a conviction, although he said that he would keep the case active. He said that there had been so many complicated transactions that the money had disappeared, and that because Royce had fled the country it would be extremely difficult to locate him."

"Rosalie, love, my office knows where Royce is. The case is still active on the database, but for some reason, none of the potential lines of evidence have been pursued and loads of the paperwork is missing. It seems like the case has been sat on for several years. One problem was that nobody could track you down because on all the documents, you've been listed as Rosie King, not Rosalie. My fraud team has been searching high and low for you, and it was only when one of the juniors thought to look for a marriage certificate, that we found you and your real name."

"And because you're overseeing the case, and I'm a victim-slash-witness, depending on how you look at it, you can't be involved with me."

"Exactly."

"This is such bullshit! Could you not pull out? Declare a conflict of interest?"

"I would be happy to love, but if I did that, the case would have to be overseen by the Chief Prosecutor..."

"Who is Billy Black, who failed to get the conviction in the first place; who it seems deliberately buried the case for seven years..."

"Exactly."

" Rosalie, I want to nail your bastard ex, for you and for us. But that means that my fraud team will be over interviewing you and your father, liaising with you about giving evidence etc. Then they report to me."

"So that's why you said you had to break up with me."

"Yeah."

"Well, that's not going to happen," Rosalie asserted, climbing into his lap. Emmett's arms curled around her. "Nobody knows about us anyway. We just have to be even more careful."

"I don't think I could actually stay away even though that's what I should do. But I can't talk about the case with you at all, gorgeous. I've probably told you too much already."

"So don't. It's not like we spent much time talking about work anyway."

"True. So what now?"

"Now..." Rosalie kissed his lips gently before licking along his jaw and kissing her way down his neck.

"Oh, wow..." Suddenly Rosalie sat bolt upright.

"What?"

"Jacob. That's why! That's fucking why!"

"I don't follow, gorgeous. Who the hell is Jacob?"

"Jacob is Billy's son, and he was Royce's best friend. I bet that Billy buried the case because he found out that Jacob was involved."

-cc-

Once Emmett left, Rosalie called Charlie.

"Hi Dad, you free to talk?"

_"Of course, tiger, everything OK?"_

Rosalie sighed.

"Dad, I've just made all our lives really, really complicated."

_"What do you mean?"_

"Um, do you think you could come round for dinner tonight? I need to talk to you face to face."

_"Rosie...? What's going on?"_

"I've fallen in love."

_"See you in an hour."_

The twins, excited to see Grandpa Charlie in the middle of the week, took ages to go to bed, leaving Rosalie's nerves rather frazzled. It took all of her patience to not snap at them. Finally, after two stories, flattery and bribery, they finally fell asleep.

"God that was hard work!" Charlie exclaimed. "They're so smart and getting bigger and more strong-willed every day!"

"Tell me about it!"

"So, tiger, tell me, who is he? He must be one hell of a guy for you to declare that you've fallen in love."

"Dad, he's amazing. He's full of life, hard-working, intelligent, handsome. He's been so gentle with me, letting me take things at my own pace, but the truth is, I knew he was special the moment I laid eyes on him."

"Sounds good so far. So what's the problem?"

"_Problems._ There are several." Rosalie braced herself.

"The first is Bella."

"Bella?"

"Do you remember the name of '_that boy'_?"

"Who, 'Edward'? Don't think I'd forget that name in a hurry. To this day I wish I'd just let her get on the damn plane. Perhaps she would have ended up a dumped, pregnant junkie, like your mother predicted, but I think that might have been better than the near-on twelve years of depression she suffered with. It's only since she's got this new job that the tide seems to have turned a bit."

Charlie's face suddenly contorted into horror.

"Rosalie, you haven't fallen for Bella's Edward, have you?"

"Hell no!"

"Phew... that would have been complicated..."

"I've fallen for his older brother, Emmett."

"Oh."

"Yep. Still complicated."

"Explain."

So Rosalie did, telling Charlie all about the series of coincidences and twists and turns that led to Bella working with Edward and Rosalie meeting and falling for Emmett.

"Bloody hell! So your Emmett is the brother of Bella's Edward, who she now has to see every day, and the man I hired as Sector Crown Prosecutor to replace Billy?"

"Yes. Normally I'd have told Bella all about my new man, but I think that to do so now, would be rather cruel since I was the one who ruined her relationship with Edward, and now I'm having an affair with his brother?"

"But Bella doesn't hold that against you. She'd be happy that you'd found love again after all this time."

"I don't know. Maybe it's just my own guilt that stopped me and that's something I need to deal with. But considering things get even more complicated, and delicate, it's probably good that I haven't told her."

"How could it get any more complicated?"

"God Dad, you have no idea!" Rosalie rubbed her temples, her head throbbing. "Emmett's really driven, and he's determined to clear a backlog of nearly a hundred cases that are over five years old."

"A hundred cases, that can't be right, tiger. Billy's really efficient. Warwickshire and East Birmingham were always the sector with the best process rate."

"Emmett's sure, Dad. One hundred cases. And he's been doing it, clearing the cases, but there was one in particular that he kept hitting brick walls with."

"Which?"

"Royce's prosecution. He only realized today that I was Royce's wife because all the paperwork he has lists me as 'Rosie,' instead of 'Rosalie.' It was only when one of his juniors dug up our marriage certificate that he realized that the witness he's been hunting for since taking up the post was his new girlfriend."

"Did he break up with you?"

"He tried, but mucked it up when he told me he was in love with me in practically the same breath," Rosalie replied, smiling a little.

"But is there even a case? Billy sat and told us that Royce and our money were long gone; untraceable. That he'd done so many complicated twists and turns with the financial transactions that it would take years to unpick, and that they couldn't find him."

"Emmett is adamant that half the evidence in the file is missing. That there aren't any witness statements, even though you and I both know that we all spent hours and hours giving them. The other thing is … that Emmett says that his office team knows where Royce is, but that with all the missing evidence, they can't charge him."

"What Emmett is implying is really serious, Tiger; that Billy, who I've known for nearly forty years, and also my best friend, buried a case. Why would he do that?"

"I don't know, Dad. Jacob's been living in Jersey for nine years. He was Royce's best friend after all. It's the only reason I could think of to explain why Billy would pervert the course of justice."

"Oh, what a mess!" Charlie rubbed his weary face. "I forgot to tell you girls that Jacob's got a new job and apparently he's going to be working in London and spending more time up here. I'm supposed to be having dinner with him and Billy soon. He wanted me to ask you and Bella to come too."

"That'll go down like a lead balloon with her. She shudders slightly every time she hears Jacob's name. Let's not bother Bella with this while she's in London."

"I agree. So, what's going to happen with you and Emmett?"

"We're going to still see each other, but not talk about the case. He's not directly involved with it, but is still overseeing. His fraud team is going to come out to interview me tomorrow."

"Rosie, it is imperative, and I mean it, _imperative,_ that nobody else finds out about your relationship with Emmett Cullen. If what you and he suggest is true, then this is going to get really messy. And when it comes to trial, the defence is going to try to sniff out anything to use to dismiss the credibility of the prosecution's case. And if the supervisor of the department was having a relationship with a witness, it'd be like manna from heaven to them."

"We know that. We'll be careful Dad, I promise."

-cc-

* * *

**AN: **

**There's been a lot of Rosalie and Emmett again in this chapter, but from the next non-flashback chapter, they won't feature for a while. **

**My schedule is still crazy busy, but I'm hoping that if I can rein things in, the next chapter will go out on the evening of 30****th**** April. If not, I'll be posting again in two weeks, on Sunday the 5****th****.**

***Hatches, Matches and Despatches: A British phrase for the Births, Marriages and Deaths Record Office. **

**Thank you for reading!**

**CC xxx**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Oh, wow! So many new followers and reviewers! Thank you all for your feedback. **

**A special thank you to WiltshireGlo for her fantastic review on The FicSix Picx on the Rob Attack blog. It warmed me through to the bone and gave me some much needed motivation. **

**Today's chapter is a flashback one; I know some people have said, in their reviews, that they're not keen on them, but the story is constructed around events from the past affecting events of the present. That being said, there aren't many of them left. **

**A big virtual hug has to go to my pre-reader and Beta SunflowerFran3759, who is wonderful! Thank you! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons.**

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen**

October 2003

Bella had just started her graduate Master's degree in English Literature at Durham University. She had come to appreciate the well-respected seat of learning. It was a beautiful city, steeped in history. She enjoyed her degree, but she never truly felt at home there. She hadn't made any close friends, and she rarely went out. She had a reputation as being a hermit, a recluse, and she did little to refute it. Instead, she threw herself into her studies and as a result was top of her class.

Charlie and Renee insisted that she get a graduate degree, but Bella had been reluctant. She didn't want to study anymore. All she wanted to do was to write. Charlie had eventually compromised by saying she could do her Master's degree part-time over two years if she got a respectable part time job. Bella had been writing for Durham's student newspaper since her first term as an undergraduate, and through her connections got part time work as a jobbing writer at the Northern Echo, a local newspaper.

As she didn't socialise much, she didn't really get to know any of her fellow students, let alone members of the opposite sex. Rosalie was determined to help her sister get over Edward and get more involved in life. She was now married to Royce and enjoying wedded bliss in her own big, beautiful house. When Royce announced that he wanted to visit Jacob, his best friend, who lived in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, just twenty miles from Durham, Rosalie decided that it would be the perfect opportunity to get Bella dating again by playing matchmaker.

Jacob Black had greater connections to Bella and Rosalie than being Royce's best friend. He was the son of Billy Black, Charlie's best friend from law school and Sector Chief Crown Prosecutor for Warwickshire and East Birmingham. Until the age of seven (when Bella was four), Jacob had been one of Rosalie and Bella's childhood friends, but was then sent to boarding school at Gordonstoun in Scotland, as had Royce, and the two had become best friends.

Jacob had, like Bella and Rosalie, decided not to follow his father into law, and instead was an architect, working in a practice in Newcastle. Rosalie and Bella often heard about him from Billy, but until Rosalie and Royce got married, had not seen him since they were kids. Bella had been seated next to him at the wedding breakfast, and Rosalie recalled that they had managed to have a conversation and even a dance with him. Jacob was tall, dark, well-built, handsome and very, very eligible in Rosalie's eyes, even though he could, at times, be rather arrogant. _It would be such a sweet set-up if Bella and Jacob got together. _

"Rosalie, I really don't know about this dress…" Bella protested feebly as she stepped out of the fitting room at Fenwick's, one of Newcastle's biggest department stores.

"It's perfect!"

"It's kind of binding." Bella ran her hands over the tight, dark, red velvet dress with a sweetheart neckline and a leg split which revealed a hint of milky-white thigh.

"That's exactly the point. It shows off your rack, highlights your super-flat tummy, and makes your legs look really long. It's sexy, but not too sexy."

"To be honest, I'm not sure about this whole dinner thing either …"

"Bellsie! Don't chicken out please! It's been three years since 'he-who-shall-not-be-named'…" Rosalie cried. "… It's time to move on. Even if you don't end up dating the guy, won't it be nice to have a new friend?"

"I guess …" Bella thought back to Jake, who was funny, smart, liked reading and could hold a conversation with her about Shakespeare. He was good-looking too, although she didn't feel anywhere near as strong a tug towards him as she did Edward. _No feeling could be stronger than that. _"OK."

Later that evening over dinner at Jesmond Dene House, one of Newcastle's most exclusive restaurants, Jacob made a huge effort to endear himself to Bella. He was flattering and attentive, had read up on the Shakespeare plays that she had told him were her favourite, and was patient with her as she blushed and stumbled her way through the conversation.

For the first time in three years, Bella felt a tiny grain of hope that she could one day move on from Edward. Whilst she didn't feel the same kind of instant connection, she found herself subtly welcoming his attention and wanting to get to know him.

"Bella, it's been wonderful getting to know you more."

"Thank you, Jacob. Likewise," she murmured just before climbing into the taxi. She was staying overnight in the same hotel as Royce and Rosalie so she wouldn't have to get back to Durham late that night.

"Are you free next weekend by any chance?" He blurted suddenly, startling Bella slightly.

"Oh, um ..."

"Despite living in this part of the world for three years, I've never been to Durham. Maybe you could show me around and I could take you for lunch?"

"Go for it, Bellsie!" whispered Rosalie from inside the taxi.

"All right," she agreed.

-cc-

It had been six weeks since Royce and Rosalie's visit to Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Bella and Jacob had seen each other twice a week, every week, taking it in turns to go to Newcastle or Durham. Bella had let him kiss her goodnight briefly on the last two dates, and he hadn't pushed for more.

She liked him. She liked that he respected her boundaries. He listened to her and she reciprocated. She was touched when he confided that he wasn't sure he had made the right decision going into architecture, but wasn't sure what else he might do. She hadn't yet told him about Edward, but knew that he knew she was still getting over someone.

On that day, Jacob was taking Bella back to Warwickshire for the weekend. It was her father's birthday and Renee was hosting a huge party at Riverview Place.

"Morning!"

"Hi Jacob. Thanks again for driving me down."

"You're welcome. I thought we could detour via York. See the walls and the Minster, have lunch at Betty's."

"Sure. Sounds lovely."

The drive from Durham to York didn't take very long, and Bella and Jacob spent it swapping stories from their early childhoods, with anecdotes that they remembered about each other's families. When they parked the car in York and started walking towards the ancient city walls, Jacob took Bella's hand and she let him, although his large, sweaty paw didn't feel quite right surrounding hers; she recalled that Edward's fingers slid perfectly amongst hers and then tried to push the recall away.

After a pleasant walk around York and a delicious lunch at Betty's, the famous tea rooms, Jacob and Bella headed back to the car.

"Spare some change?" A homeless man, about their age, sitting on the ground by the car park entrance, asked them. Bella started to fish out the one pound coin she had in her jeans pocket but before she could, Jacob had pulled her into his side and turned her away, before ushering her to the car quickly. Bella caught the look Jacob gave the homeless man as they got into his VW Golf GTi. It was a look of utter disgust, like the man was worse than scum on his shoe.

"You'd think the local police would keep the streets of a place as beautiful as York free from junkie tramps pestering the tourists," he huffed. "Are you OK? He didn't frighten you, did he, babe?"

Bella bristled. Although she was rather timid and introverted, she didn't consider herself a weakling who got scared easily. She was also a little perturbed by Jacob's attitude towards the homeless man who had done nothing to suggest he was a threat, except ask for some money.

"I'm fine." She replied shortly. "Tired actually, after the walking and the big lunch. I may fall asleep in the car."

"Oh, go for it. Get your rest now, 'cause it sounds like Charlie's party tomorrow is going to be a big one!"

Bella merely nodded, closed her eyes and was immediately assaulted by a memory.

**_Flashback- early November 1999_**

"Edward, isn't it a little too cold for ice cream?" Bella shivered a little as they approached the entrance to the Jephson Gardens, the park in the centre of Leamington Spa, just a few minutes' walk from his and Emmett's apartment.

"It's never too cold for ice cream!"

"You and your sweet tooth!" She laughed, cuddling into him for more warmth. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "With all the sugary drinks, snacks and desserts you put away, it's a wonder your teeth aren't black!"

"What can I say? I'm blessed with good teeth genes!"

"Good genes full stop," Bella murmured, and was rewarded by a kiss to her temple.

"Would you still want to kiss me if my teeth were black?"

He stopped on the path, gathered her into his arms and brushed her hair away from her face.

"I'll always want to kiss you," she replied, turning red. Edward stroked her burning cheek with the back of his index finger.

"Likewise, love."

Edward guided her to a nearby bench opposite the large duck pond in the centre of the pretty gardens. When they sat down, he picked up her legs and draped them across her lap.

"Bella, I got you something."

"What, why?" Bella took in Edward's surprised, slightly disappointed face. "Sorry, it's just ... I'm not the greatest gift receiver."

"I just wanted to show you how much you mean to me. And I saw them and they were so ... you. I don't expect anything in return, love, just that you keep allowing me the joy of your company."

"Oh, Edward! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to sound ungrateful. I just don't want you to think that you need to shower me with presents to keep me by your side. Because you don't."

"I know, and that is exactly the reason I want to give you everything."

Edward reached into the inside pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small, dark blue box before opening it. Inside was a pair of small, delicate, silver, filigree hoop earrings. Bella gasped.

"Oh, they're so pretty!"

"You like them?

"I love them, _mon ange!"_

"'_Mon ange?'_ What does that mean?"

"It means 'my angel.' That's how I see you, Edward. You're my angel. Guardian and owner of my heart," she told him. "_Mon ange, mon cher Edward."_

"Oh, Bella, love... you sound so sexy when you speak French!"

He leaned forward, and Bella licked her lips in anticipation. Their first kiss had been just over a week after their first meeting, but the novelty and nervousness of coming together for kisses were still very much factors in their blossoming relationship .

Edward tilted his head one way, bumped her nose and then turned it the other way before finally finding her mouth with his. He gently surrounded her bottom lip, pressing softly and then firmly whilst she did the same with his top lip. Bella moaned slightly as she felt the addicting rush of his kiss from her face to her toes, awakening arousal deep within her. They exchanged several kisses and embraces, trying not to let things escalate as they were in public.

Bella and Edward hadn't yet gone all the way, but he had previously fondled her breasts during their petting, and she had, very tentatively but with fascination, felt his penis through his clothes. Whenever she was with him, touching him, kissing him, the erotic way her body reacted made her want more from him. It wasn't going to happen on that day, but losing their virginities was going to happen pretty soon.

A low, rough chuckle and a small clap from the next bench over brought them out of their bubble. With their arms still wrapped around each other, they turned towards the noise.

An older man, face weathered by age, with a big grey beard and dirty, tatty clothes, sat watching them. He was clearly one of the town's few homeless people, and Bella wondered if he was waiting for the bus from one of the local charities that served food later on in the evening. _Poor guy's got a long wait if that's the case. The bus doesn't turn up until 8 o'clock, and it's only four o'clock now._

"Ah, young love. Young love!" The old man cried, giving them two thumbs up. "Can't wait for anyone or anything, eh?"

"No sir!" Edward replied warmly.

"Don't blame you, boy. She's a beauty!"

Edward goosed Bella's chin and kissed her nose, causing her cheeks to colour and to duck away slightly in shyness.

"I know! I'm very lucky."

"Make sure you hold onto her. Gotta hold onto the good girls, boy," the old man's tone was wistful, as if he was remembering past mistakes. "And I can tell, Beauty, you're a good girl."

"Thank you." Bella whispered, shivering a little in the cold.

"You cold, love?"

"Yeah, a little."

"Shall we head to the cafe?" Bella nodded. "OK." They got up. "Have a good day, sir. It was nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too, lovebirds."

In the cafe, Edward got the ice cream sundae he had been craving, whilst Bella got her warming hot chocolate with marshmallows, cream and sprinkles. Bella put the earrings on and knew that they would always be her favourite pair. In part of their conversation, they speculated on how the old man might have come to be homeless. As they were leaving, Edward stopped suddenly.

"Maybe we should get that guy something. You know, it's chilly and as you said, he's in for a long wait if he's waiting for the soup kitchen bus."

"Yeah, let's." Bella leaned up and kissed his jaw for his thoughtfulness.

They bought a hot chocolate and a raisin oat cookie before heading back to the duck pond. The old man was still sitting on the bench, a small sketchbook on his lap.

"Excuse me, sir?" ventured Bella.

"Oh, lovebirds! How was the cafe?"

"Very nice, thank you. We wondered if you might want ..." Bella showed him the hot chocolate and cookie. "... you know, because it's cold out here, and to thank you for your kind words and ..."

"Nervous little thing aren't you?"

"She is." Edward agreed.

"Well, Beauty, that'd be grand. Thanks!" He took the food and drink from Bella's hands.

"No problem. Take care now."

"Wait, before you fly away, here!" He tore off the top piece of paper in his sketchbook. "For you two."

It was a charcoal drawing of Bella and Edward with their arms around each other on the bench. His attention to detail was astounding. He perfectly captured the emotion between them.

"It's so beautiful!" Bella exclaimed.

"It really is! But sir, we couldn't possibly accept ..."

"Pssh ... of course you can. It's the least I can do for such a lovely pair."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Thank _you._"

**_End flashback._**

Bella couldn't help but remember the episode with fondness. She still had the drawing, and wondered if Edward still had the photocopy he'd taken at school the next day. Jacob's attitude had been so different, and she couldn't help the unease that settled in her stomach. _But he's lovely in so many other ways. Maybe it's just his protectiveness. _

The unease didn't go away, and as Charlie's birthday party got into full swing, and Jacob paid her more and more attention in front of their families and friends, it seemed to grow. Jacob appeared to sense some distance and kept asking her if she was all right.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I think I'm just tired. Burning the candle at both ends with the essays and the newspaper, you know."

Jacob kissed her on the cheek. They were cold, dry, and too fleshy. _You just need to get used to him, Bella. Of course he's going to feel different to Edward. _

"Why don't I get you a cocktail?" Jacob suggested, stroking the back of her neck. "Help you relax."

"Um, sure."

He returned with a blue cocktail with lots of ice.

"Your dad's right-hand-man, Phil, is it? He made it."

Bella took a sip.

"Gosh, it's really sweet and a bit salty too. What's in it?"

"Err ... don't know. We can go ask Phil but your mother's talking his ear off," Jacob pointed to Phil Dwyer, Charlie's younger colleague and protégé, who was talking to Renee, whose demeanour appeared rather flirtatious. _I'll never hear the end of it if we interrupt. _

"Don't worry. It's fine. It doesn't taste too bad."

At first the cocktail gave her a bit of energy and distracted her from her unease, but the second one he brought her made her dizzy. She didn't remember finishing the third.

The next morning, Bella woke up feeling like she was going to die. She could barely open her eyes. Her head throbbed. In fact her whole body was sore. She was not in her own bed because her Aunt Cora and Uncle John were staying in her room. She was supposed to be in Rosalie's room with her twelve year old cousin Jessica, but this wasn't Rosalie's room either. It was the third spare room, which Renee had said Jacob could use because Billy had turned his bedroom at home into a gym.

A heavy, dense, muscular arm suddenly draped over her waist and she felt the bed dip. Jacob's large form overheated one side of her body, and his morning breath engulfed her nostrils. Her stomach lurched and she just about managed to turn onto her side and vomit into an appropriately-placed bucket.

"You OK, babe?" Jacob mumbled, half-asleep.

"Um, no. Feel ... ugh."

"Not surprised. You had a lot to drink last night, but don't worry, I took care of you." His tone was a little suggestive, and Bella realised, to abject horror, that she was naked under the sheet, and so was Jacob.

"Um, I need to go to the loo. Could you pass me a shirt or something?"

"Sure." He leaned over the other side of the bed and passed her his dress shirt from the floor. She awkwardly put the shirt on whilst trying to keep her naked torso hidden from Jacob. She managed to locate her plain cotton panties from the night before, get them on and get to the bathroom before throwing up again.

Bella had consumed alcohol before, and even got drunk on a couple of occasions with Angela, but she had never had such a bad hangover. _And here I was thinking those cocktails didn't taste too strong! What the hell was in them? _

Worse than the hangover was not remembering what she did with Jacob. Whatever happened, she felt disgusting, like her skin was crawling. She was sore between her legs, suggesting that they'd slept together. Bella was appalled but considered that maybe they had just fooled around. She brushed her teeth, flossed and threw the floss away. That was when she saw them. Condoms. Two used condoms in the bathroom bin, half-hidden under a tissue. She felt another wave of nausea. _It feels like I've cheated on Edward. I know I haven't but that's what my heart tells me. _

Guilt overwhelmed her and suddenly she was running the bath to mask the sound of her sobs; it was an old habit from when she was pining for Edward, the first time. She felt the loss of his love all over again, as if it had just happened. _I belong to him. Always. I've tried with Jacob. Tried so fucking hard. And now I just feel like dirt. _

After an hour in the bathroom, where thankfully, nobody disturbed her, Bella felt strong enough to come out. She nipped into Rosalie's old room, changed into sweats and a t-shirt and crawled into bed. Not five minutes later, Jessica flounced in, wearing half a bottle of Rosalie's Miss Dior perfume and too much blusher, headphones on, portable radio in hand.

"Hi Bella! Oh wow, did you do stuff with Jacob last night? He's like so super cute! Is he a good kisser? He looked like he was! OMG! Wow!" Jessica's relentless chatter drilled into her skull and she groaned.

"Jess, I really need to sleep..." _or die of embarrassment._

"Oh, but I thought we were gonna go shopping! I so totally need to get to HMV to get this awesome single. It's really hot!"

"Mmm ... I'm sure Rosie will go with you ..."

"Here, listen!"

Jessica jammed the headphones on Bella's head. Bella immediately went to move them off but then stopped as she listened. _I know this track. It's Edward's from years ago. _

_"Welcome back to BBC Radio 1 Sunday Breakfast! You're listening to me, Jo Whiley, and that last track was the amazing _Adagio London _by new wunderkind producers AJE. AJE is made up of Alice Brandon, Jasper Whitlock and our very own British export Edward Cullen, who won Dance America's DJ of the Year 2002 before the team relocated to London soon afterwards. The track, originally released under the title _Adagio Manhattan _in North America, has been remixed by Edward Cullen, and is out now. We're expecting it to hit the Dance Top Ten with a bang this evening!"_

"I tell you what, Jessie, why don't you let me have two hours and if I'm feeling up to it we'll go to HMV after lunch?" Bella suggested in a shaky voice. "Otherwise I'll be puking every five minutes."

"Gross! OK!" Jessica grabbed her radio and headphones and bounded out of the room.

-cc-

It was late on Sunday evening by the time Jacob pulled up outside Bella's house in Durham. She had hardly said a word to him, sleeping most of the way, trying to forget about the knowledge that Edward had returned to England. When she took Jessica to the music store, she had scoured the musical press and found a picture in Q Magazine of Edward with his business partners Alice and Jasper, his arm around Alice, looking very happy.

_He's come home. _

_But not for me._

"So..."

"So..."

"Bella, about last night, um ..."

"I don't really feel ready to talk about it. I don't_ remember_ it. Not yet."

"Fine. But, look, there's something I need to tell you. Nothing about last night, just ..."

"What?" Bella's patience was paper thin. _Out with it. _

"I've been talking to Royce's father about how unhappy I am in architecture and how I'd love to try something in financial services. Anyway, he's got me a job."

"So you're moving back to Warwickshire?"

"No, babe, it's actually in the Channel Islands, in Jersey."

"Right." Bella muttered. She was aware that she sounded rude, but just being in the car with him, imagining but not knowing what his touch felt like, made her feel sick and dirty. "When do you go?"

"As soon as possible. I've got to give my month's notice, and then sort loads of stuff out about moving and things are going to be pretty busy. You may not see too much of me, but of course I'll find time to meet up before I go."

"You know Jacob, since you're going to be really busy and so am I, maybe we should just call this goodbye."

"Oh, right ..."

Bella didn't wait for him to answer.

"Good luck Jacob. I'm sure I'll see you sometime soon," she said tersely, although deep down, she hoped she never would.

-cc-

* * *

**AN: The next chapter is back to the present and the first of three set in London. I'll be posting next on Sunday 5th May. **

**Thank you for reading! **

**CC xxx**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hello, thank you all so much for your reviews and favourites and follows. The general consensus is that Jacob is a douche! **

**So here's the first of three chapters set in London. I hope you like them all! Please let me know. Big thanks to everyone recommending this story. Special thanks this week go to JudyBlue95 who has been a massive supporter of my writing. And, of course, big thanks to my pre-reader/beta SunflowerFran3759 for making my work super-slick! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these.**

**Thank you muchly!**

**CC xxx**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen**

August 2012

London was even busier and crazier than Bella remembered. She was staying in Alice and Jasper's house in Primrose Hill, in the north of the city. Jessica had also come on the trip to London, and Alice had decided that she would learn more and be less distracted if she stayed in the Primrose Hill house as well, rather than in the company apartment above the Soho premises, right in the heart of the busy West End. Jessica was supposed to be spending time learning about marketing and promotion from Alice, but seemed to do more self-promotion than anything else. This was mainly directed at Edward, in whom she now had a very noticeable interest, far more than the casual flirtation that Edward threw back in her direction.

The Bree Tanner publicity whirlwind, orchestrated by Alice, hit the ground running. The schedule, as predicted, was punishing. Although quiet by nature, Bree was a natural in front of the camera and in interviews. She had a strong moral compass, so wasn't swayed by all the offers to go partying in clubs for free or to accept merchandise. However, she wasn't used to such demands on her time and her voice, and to being so far from home. Although it wasn't her job, Bella ended up taking on the role of 'mother hen', making sure that Bree ate well, slept enough, rested her voice and enjoyed her success rather than be overwhelmed by it.

Bella's own schedule was hectic, even without looking after Bree. She and Edward had to participate in interviews for the upcoming AJE Records Showcase, which terrified her, although she managed to get through them with the help of Jasper, who taught her some deep breathing yoga techniques.

She and Edward also had to help Alice plan the running order, for only they knew their songs well enough to decide which artist at AJE Records would showcase which tracks best. In total, they were showcasing twenty tracks for sale and featuring nine artists. The showcase would end with Bree doing a short set, comprising the _Sweet Talk _EP and a couple of tracks from the main album, _Running,_ in order to preview it and promote the fact that it was written personally for her by Edward and Bella.

It wasn't all work, however. Bella's friendship with Mike continued to grow, and he was happy to show her his favourite spots and hidden gems in the city where he had been born and raised. He took her to Greenwich Park and the Royal Observatory. They took advantage of the dry, albeit grey, weather and went on a river cruise. Mike also took her to poetry readings in little cafes near London Bridge and for Indian food on Brick Lane.

Bella had always wanted to visit Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, and Mike managed to procure two tickets to _the Taming of the Shrew_ after calling in a favour from a childhood friend who worked in the box office. Edward seethed and burned with jealousy after hearing Mike on the phone, begging for the tickets. It had failed to escape anyone's notice that Bella was spending most of her free time with his assistant; gossip was rife amongst the other members of the team, unaware that Bella and Mike's relationship was completely platonic.

By the time the showcase came round, _Sweet Talk _had made the Top Ten singles chart on downloads alone. After _Night Light'_s catchy intro was used to advertise a popular soft drink, suddenly it was everywhere, too. The EP was therefore expected to go Top Five when officially released. Bree was getting recognised more, although the fans she attracted were not the mobbing kind.

Bella felt a sense of pride with herself that she hadn't felt for years, the first time she heard the song on the radio, and again when she heard someone sing it in the line at Starbucks. In fact, she was as happy in her own skin as she felt she could be, given that Edward didn't want her. Alice had taken her shopping and persuaded her to splash out a little on a few things for herself. She bought a new suitcase, and a new pair of jeans. Then she decided on a midnight blue skater dress and dark grey sparkly tights for the showcase, paired with grey suede shoe-boots with a small kitten heel. And finally, a shiny white iPhone, something she'd coveted for years. They weren't extravagant purchases compared to Alice's spending habits, but it was the first time in nearly eight years that Bella had bought things for herself out of want rather than need.

The showcase was being held at The 100 Club, a small but high-profile venue in central London. AJE Records' production team, supervised by Edward and Mike, were buzzing around like flies, doing the final preparations. While Jasper and Austin chatted about finances with the industry heavyweights, Alice and Liam, the publicist, had taken Bella to network with the music bloggers and press. Bella did well to meet everyone and found that with Alice's support, she was able to overcome her shyness to talk about her work as a lyricist, simply because she loved it so much.

Alice watched with awe as Bella unwittingly charmed some of the most influential music journalists in London with both her passion for writing and her delicate beauty. She had to use quite a lot of persuasion to get Bella to go shopping, but as Alice appraised her friend's slender form in the short, dark blue skater dress and the sparkly grey tights, she knew that it was a good decision. Bella looked stunning and appeared more self confident.

Edward had also noticed Bella's improved self confidence, and of course, how good she looked. Having seen her exclusively wear trousers or jeans since she returned to his life, it was a jolt to his system to see every good thing about her figure highlighted so exquisitely. Her long dark hair tumbled down her back in waves. The dark blue dress hugged her bust and tiny waist before flaring over her round hips, emphasising her pert behind and relatively long, shapely legs. Alice had done her makeup subtly and flattered her large, dark eyes and rosy lips.

"Hey, Edward, I got you a beer!"

Edward, in the DJ booth, had a bottle of Bud Light thrust into his face by Jessica, who, judging by the way she wobbled, had already had a few drinks. Edward couldn't help but compare Jessica to her cousin. Jess was far more outlandish in her choice of clothing, wearing a very tight, very low cut, black and white tribal-print tube dress that barely covered her ass, sky-high fuchsia-pink platform stilettos and both false eyelashes and false fuchsia-pink nails. _Jessica could learn a thing or two about class from her cousin. _

"Thanks, but I don't drink alcohol when I need to be on the ball, and believe me, I need to be on the ball tonight," he replied, nudging the beer back in her direction. "I don't operate any of this equipment soused."

"Oh, go on!"

"I said no, Jess..."

"Go on! Have it! It's a light one!" _Yuck. Light beer. I'd rather have water. _

"No, Jess. This evening's extremely important. I'm not going to risk fucking things up because I had a drink."

"God you're such a control freak!"

"Jess, we might be friends, but I am still your boss," he warned. "Now, if you're not going to do anything useful, maybe you should go find your seat for the show."

"Maybe you need another way of relaxing..." Jessica snaked her hand over his hand and then up his arm. Edward looked at her hand before gently nudging it off.

"Go find your seat, Jess," he repeated.

Annoyed with not getting her way, Jessica stomped off, heading to the bar instead of to her seat. Edward watched her go and sighed to himself before glancing across the room in Bella's direction. Bella didn't see him, but Alice, who had watched the exchange with Jessica, raised an eyebrow pointedly. _Yes Alice, you told me so._

Alice didn't miss much, and she certainly didn't miss the lustful and wistful way Edward looked at Bella. She intended to get them back together, although she wasn't entirely sure how she was going to do it yet, especially because Edward was still trying to stay angry with her, and Bella wouldn't talk about her past relationship with him any way, shape or form. Even Mike, with whom she spent so much time, was unaware.

A tap on the shoulder interrupted Alice from her thoughts.

"Hello lovely Alice!"

"Siobhan!"

Siobhan was Liam's wife, and an editor at a major London publishing house. She specialised in horror and crime novels but had worked with several other genres. A statuesque, voluptuous redhead in her early forties, a few years older than the lean, wiry sandy-haired Liam, she and Alice had been good friends for many years, ever since Liam got the job as AJE Records' resident publicist.

"I've been looking forward to this showcase for weeks! I LOVE the _Sweet Talk_ EP!"

"Thank you! You'll have to meet Bree Tanner after the show. I'd take you backstage now, but we've only got five minutes and she gets quite nervous. Bella here..." Alice gestured to Bella, who turned around at the sound of her name. "... just gave her a pep talk."

"Hi, I'm Siobhan Macdonald. Liam's my husband." Siobhan and Bella shook hands.

"Hi. I'm Bella Swan. I'm AJE Records' lyricist."

"Bella wrote _Sweet Talk,_ Siobhan, along with Edward..." Alice began, but Siobhan's squeal cut her off.

"Oh my God! I'm a huge fan of yours!" Siobhan gushed.

"Err, thanks," replied Bella, slightly taken aback at Siobhan's response. "I'm really happy to have helped write the song."

"Oh yes, the song's amazing, but I mean your blog! _Bella Writes?"_

"Y-you've read my blog?"

"Yeah! Alice showed it to me a while back and I've been following it ever since. _Arden's Delights_ is so gripping!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, you should think about getting yourself a literary agent."

"Um, I actually have one."

"Who?"

"His name's Tyler Crowley. I've been on his books since last September, but he's not having much luck with my script..."

"Tyler Crowley? That ASSHOLE?"

"Um ..."

"Bella, sorry, I know you only just met me, but please believe me, he's a shark. He makes clients pay a joining fee and then does fuck all with their scripts for months before saying that he needs more cash to get it edited so that a publisher will look at it! He's indiscriminate. He accepts any author who can spell their own name."

"Oh." _Shit, that's exactly what happened with me. _

Bella felt waves of disappointment crash over her. _Great. I'm a complete mug, and there's no chance in hell of getting my novel published now._

"Hey, I'm sorry. I'm a bit blunt with my delivery."

"No, it's okay. I already thought he was a shit, but hearing it from someone else is hard. It means that that my manuscript is probably crap and will never get published. "

"I doubt that, if _Arden's Delights_ is anything to go by. Historical fiction's not my forte but I think it has a lot of potential to be made into a novel or a series of novellas. You _are _talented, Bella," Siobhan emphasised. She fished out a business card and pressed it into Bella's hand. "Get in touch when you've ditched Tyler. I'll tell you now; no decent publisher will sign you whilst you're his client."

"OK, thanks for the advice."

The lights flickered then, indicating the start of the show.

"Oh, shit, that's my cue!" Alice kissed both Siobhan and Bella on the cheek before dashing up to the stage.

"Good evening everyone! Welcome to AJE Records' Showcase! I'm Alice Brandon Whitlock and we are so happy to have you all here! Now, are you ready to hear some of our brightest stars sing what we hope will be hits of the future for _your_ brightest stars?" The crowd whooped and cheered.

As the showcase progressed, the tracks and the artists became increasingly well-received, with the crowd whooping and cheering, and even dancing on occasion. Bella had to pinch herself a couple of times, unable to believe that just ten weeks earlier, she and Rosalie had been scraping by. Now they were thriving and happy, financially comfortable for the first time since four months after the twins were born.

Bella had always wanted to write for a living. She hadn't found the satisfaction she craved in journalism or features writing, as they were not outlets which allowed her to release her creativity. However, writing lyrics was hitting the spot, and even though she couldn't _be _with Edward, just being near him had soothed her soul a little.

Smiling and cheering as the final artist before Bree, Riley-B, brought the last of Edward and Bella's showcased tracks to a close, Bella glanced over at Edward. He was smiling and clapping too, and just as she was about to turn away, he looked in her direction.

… And gave her a brief, crooked smile.

-cc-

"Oh my God, Bree! You were amazing!" cried Bella, hugging her tightly backstage after the show. "They loved you!"

"Thank you. I can't believe some of the famous people I saw in the audience! And they gave us a standing ovation too!"

"You deserved it!" echoed Alice. She held up her phone. "Twitter's going mad! The buzz is fierce!"

"Who's for a celebration supper?" asked Jasper.

"Brilliant! I'm starving!" Alice bounced on her heels! Let's go to Bob Bob Ricard! It's not far and I am so in the mood for their lemon sole goujons..."

"Supper?" Jessica replied, with incredulity in her tone.

"What's wrong with supper, Jess?" asked Edward, bristling at Jessica's contrariness and tone. _I hope she's only being a brat because she's had a drink or three. _

"Aren't you all, like, totally wired from the show? Let's go clubbing!"

"It's midweek, Jess. We all have to work tomorrow and Bree's performing live on breakfast TV in the morning," countered Bella, a little concerned about her cousin's lack of professionalism.

Jessica shrugged.

"Whatever. I'll be in the bar. Come get me when we're leaving." Before anyone could reply, she stomped away.

"If people want to go clubbing, I don't mind..." ventured Bree, although it was clear that she was a little tired and clubbing was the last thing she wanted to do

"Darlin', I think Jessica's the only one who wants to go dancin'. Us oldies would like nothin' more than some nice food in our bellies and a comfy bed," reassured Jasper. "We'll just wrap things up and head to Bob Bob Ricard. It's real cool in there. You'll love it, I'm sure."

After wrapping up, saying goodbye to the last of the audience and finalising plans for the rest of the week, the group was ready to go, and headed to the bar to collect Jessica. She was finishing off a lurid pink cocktail with gusto. As she approached her cousin, Bella glanced over to the exit to see the back of a dark- haired man slipping through the door. She was immediately hit by a sense of déjà vu.

_Weird. _

"Jess, we're ready to go."

"Grreaatt!" she slurred, before slipping off the barstool.

"Whoa, Jessie, how much have you had to drink?" Bella gestured to the pink cocktail. "What is that?" Bella had had an aversion to brightly coloured drinks ever since the worst hangover of her life, her one and only night with Jacob Black.

"Don't know," Jess replied, managing to right herself. "But guess who bought it for me? I didn't remember him at first and he had to go before I could ask him his name but I'm sure it was him and he's just as fine as I remember. TDH, always a winner!"

"Who? And 'TDH'?"

"Tall, dark and handsome! Duh! It was Jacob! You of all people should remember him!"

"Jacob?" Bella spluttered and felt her face heat up. "Jacob Black?"

Edward, standing not far away and eavesdropping, felt a white-hot stab of jealousy in his gut. _Who the fuck is Jacob, and why should Bella remember him? Why the fuck is she blushing? For fuck's sake! Jacob then, and Mike now; just how many guys has she been involved with?_

"Yeah! So hot!"

"But I thought he'd moved to Jersey. Are you sure it was him? You've had a bit to drink..."

"I'm sure!" Jessica stomped her foot a little. "It was him!"

"If you say so, Jess. Let's go!"

The restaurant was less than ten minutes' walk away. Bella hoped the cool night air and exercise might sober Jessica up a little but she seemed to get more disorientated and erratic.

"Since we're not going clubbing, I'm going to dance my way to the restaurant!" she declared, spinning herself in circles.

"Jessica, come on!" cried Edward, whose temper was starting to wear a little thin.

"Oh, Eddie, don't be like that!" She rushed over to him and hugged him. "I love you!" She let go of him just as suddenly as she took hold of him and started to shimmy up a lamppost. "I'm gonna put those pole dancing classes to good use!"

"For fucks' sake!" he muttered. "Jessica!"

"Will you catch me if I fall?"

"You're only a foot off the ground."

"No I'm not! I'm nearly flying! Woo! Woo!" Jessica let go of the post and promptly fell backwards in a most undignified manner.

"Jessica!" Bella was by her side in an instant.

"Bellsie, I don't feel so good..." Jessica suddenly went pale. "My chest feels weird..."

Everyone else had stopped to see what was going on.

"Jess?" Jessica flopped back to the ground and her breathing became strained. "Jessie? JESS!"

"Holy shit!" exclaimed Edward.

Everyone froze for a second.

"Guys, we need to get her some help!" Bella cried, springing into action and checking Jessica's breathing and pulse. She was still breathing, although it was erratic. Bree immediately started fumbling for her phone. "Not you sweetie, I know you mean well but you don't know the area and you don't know Jessica. Mike, please can you phone emergency services?"

"OK." Mike did as he was told and called 999.

"Edward and Jasper, help me turn Jess onto her side." Edward and Jasper crouched alongside Bella and helped turn Jessica into the recovery position. "Great, now, one of you needs to keep checking her pulse, and the other her breaths. Keep talking to her. "Alice, go find some water. She'll need it if she comes round."

"Got it!" Alice ran into a nearby bar.

A crowd was starting to gather.

"Austin, Benjamin, Tia. Please can you ask people to keep their distance? We don't want to crowd Jessica." Bella continued to issue orders whilst trying not to cry. She looked up and saw Bree's bottom lip start to tremble. _Oh no. Don't start, or else I'll will, too. _

"Bree, it's going to be all right. She's probably just had too much to drink."

"But she's so sick!"

"I know. Look, I don't think supper's going to happen tonight. Eric, could you please take Bree and Diego back to their hotel?"

"Sure."

"Either Alice or I will phone you first thing in the morning. I don't want you to worry, okay? You need to be at your best for tomorrow."

"OK, Bella," whispered Bree. She clutched onto Diego's arm and let Eric lead them away.

Edward, currently squeezing Jessica's hand and checking her breathing whilst Jasper did the talking, watched Bella's command of the grave situation in awe. In the time it had taken for him to process what was going on, she had orchestrated everything.

_And here I was thinking that her cautiousness and diligence was a bad thing. Shows that I'm a fuckwit. _

It took only a few minutes for an ambulance to arrive. Bella quickly explained what had happened and then had everyone stand aside to let the paramedics work.

"Are you sure she's not taken anything other than drink?" asked one paramedic after checking her over. "Her breathing's very erratic."

"Jessica likes to party but she wouldn't take any drug that could do this to her," Bella replied, hoping rather than knowing it to be true. "But she has been drinking since mid afternoon."

"All right. St Thomas's Hospital and King's College Hospital are the nearest but they're both on major trauma alert so we're taking her to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital instead. Who's coming with her?" the other paramedic asked. "You?" He pointed to Bella.

"Of course."

"Bella, we'll come too," Jasper began, but Bella held up her hand.

"Jasper, it's probably going to take ages, and she'll probably be all right in the morning. There's no point in all of us being there, waiting around. I'll keep you updated, I promise."

"Bella, are you sure?" Edward asked.

"Yes, please. Edward ..." their eyes met and lingered just for a moment, "... she'll be all right soon. I'll be in touch."

"We've got to go now," the paramedic warned.

Mike, who was standing next to her, gave her a quick hug before she jumped in. Edward felt his muscles stiffen as jealousy once again ripped through him.

"OK." Bella sat down in the seat as the paramedic shut the ambulance doors. She looked back at her friends through the small window, and it was Edward's concerned face that she saw looking back at her.

Once they got to the hospital, everything happened in a blur. Doctors and nurses pulled Jessica into the Resuscitation area, and asked Bella hundreds of questions. Jessica, because she had lost consciousness, could no longer support her own breathing, and the doctors put a tube down her throat. Bella watched in alarm as they took what seemed like gallons of blood from her, for tests, and hooked her up to beeping machines and fluid drips. Eventually, a kindly nurse showed Bella to the relatives' room and gave her a cup of tea, telling her that a doctor would be in to let her know how they planned to look after her overnight.

The doctor came just as Bella was finishing her tea.

"Miss Swan, I'm afraid we're going to have to observe your cousin on the Intensive Care Unit overnight."

"But she's going to pull through, right?"

"She should do fine, and I have to say that her chances were much improved by you putting her into the recovery position so quickly after her collapse, but GHB's a rather unpredictable drug..."

"Sorry, GHB?" interrupted Bella. "What's that? I don't think I've even heard of it."

"It's a recreational drug. Sometimes it's called 'Liquid Ecstasy or Liquid X?"

"No, there has to be a mistake. Jessica's never used anything other than a bit of pot in her life, apart from alcohol."

"We did the drug tests twice, Miss Swan. And the way she's presented, well, it's classic for GHB overdose. The disorientation and euphoria followed by the sudden distressed breathing. Classic."

"GHB?" Bella repeated, out of incredulity.

"Nasty stuff. I brought you this." The doctor handed over a leaflet. "When it's out of her system and the alcohol too, we'll have a better idea of how long she'll need to be in hospital. Is there anyone you'd like us to contact?"

"No, thank you. I've left voicemails for her parents. They're on a Caribbean cruise right now, but hopefully they'll get the message soon."

"OK. Are you going to stay for a while? If you want to go home, Intensive Care will call you..."

"No, I'm staying. I doubt I'd get any sleep anyway, knowing she was here all alone."

Bella stayed by Jessica's side all night. The nurses had reiterated that she could go home and that they would call her, but Bella couldn't bring herself to leave, despite her tiredness. Even though Jessica could be obnoxious and self-centred, she was still her bright, bubbly young cousin, the closest thing Bella had to a younger sibling.

Eventually a nurse found a reclining chair and insisted that Bella let her swap it for the hard plastic chair she was sitting on. Bella still hadn't heard from her aunt or uncle, but had informed her father and Rosalie, who were on the case and were trying to track them down. She tried to stay awake but by 3am, still holding Jessica's hand, her eyes drooped and she fell asleep thinking of the way Edward's green eyes held her gaze as she left in the ambulance.

-cc-


	18. Chapter 18

**AN: Hi everybody and happy Sunday! Once again, thank you for all your reviews, and to all the new readers, followers and favouriters (sorry I know that's not actually a word!), hello to you too. **

**As I write, Ffn is playing silly buggers once again and not delivering alerts. So if you're reading this days after I've updated, sorry! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen**

August 2012

It had been six hours since Bella went to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital with Jessica in the ambulance. Less than half a mile away from the hospital, in his Chelsea apartment, sleep eluded Edward. He tossed and turned. Each time he checked the time, only a few minutes had elapsed, but it felt like a few hours. Eventually, at 4am, he got up and got a drink of water, and checked his phone, hoping for some news.

_No messages. _

The whole episode had thrown him into turmoil. He had spent such a long time being angry with Bella for rejecting him, trying to avoid the searing pain of heartbreak that still bubbled so close to his surface. He couldn't quite reconcile the Bella that he remembered and the Bella that he now saw almost daily with the Bella who, in his head, hurt him so badly. Part of him wanted to hate her, to think of her as a bad person for breaking his heart, but seeing her command the situation when Jessica collapsed had just proven that Bella was not only inherently good and pure, but she was bright, full of common sense and utterly selfless.

The Bella he remembered loved him unconditionally. She knew him implicitly. She affected him exquisitely and completely. The Bella he worked with now was the same kind, sweet, fiercely intelligent, considerate, shy girl that she always was, and respected the invisible wall he had put between them.

When he thought about _that_ morning, he remembered Bella's shaky voice and the litany of excuses that tumbled from her mouth as to why she couldn't run away with him. It was the doubt that stung the most, because from the moment that he met her, the one thing he took as gospel was that she was the love of his life and that he was hers, and that they could face anything together. He still couldn't fathom what could have happened to change her mind.

_She was the love of my life. _

_I've been bitter for such a long time. _

_The fact is, nobody can affect me like Bella and I'm not over her, just in denial like Alice said. _

_I've used so many women, unable to give my heart to them because it belongs to Bella. Jessica included. God, Jessica. If I had acted like her boss instead of flirting with her, maybe she would have been less reckless with the booze tonight. I used her. Alice was right. I used Jessica to hurt Bella. _

_I can't keep up this bitterness, being this poisonous person who would use a young girl to hurt someone else. No, I need to let go of the pain and resentment if I'm to get over her and move on._

Edward looked at himself in the reflection off his kitchen window, dressed only in his boxers. He brought his fingertips to his swan tattoo and traced it slowly. His heart beat just a little faster.

**_Flashback- late September 1999_**

"Fucking hell, Edward! I don't want to lose our deposit on this place because you wore a hole in the carpet by pacing up and down!" cried Emmett, looking up from his legal practice essay. "You told her one o'clock, right? It's not even quarter to!"

"I know, but, Em, words can't describe how great Bella is. Every time she talks to me or smiles at me, my heart, like, skips a beat or something. She's so beautiful, and so smart," sighed Edward, finally settling on the other chair at their small dining table. "I really want today to go well."

"It will, baby bro, as long as you chill the hell out. No girl wants to go out with a Nervous Nigel."

"I'll be better once she gets here. She's very soothing. I can't explain it."

"What have you got planned anyway?"

"I'm going to take her to that funky café with the Italian film posters for lunch, and then maybe a walk in the park or the cinema, depending on what Bella wants to do."

There was a tentative knock on their front door and Edward flew out of his seat, knocking over his chair in the process.

"Calm, bro!" Edward nodded and took a couple of deep breaths before moving to open the front door.

Bella stood in front of him, her hair loose about her shoulders, wearing dark boot cut jeans, a fairly fitted, red Gap t-shirt and a grey zip-up cardigan, with black Converse on her little feet. It was the first time Edward had seen her out of her school uniform and she looked even more beautiful than she usually did wearing her own clothes.

"Hi Edward."

"Hey Bella, come in." She stepped inside and he greeted her with a light kiss to her cheek. "Welcome to our humble abode." He showed her through to the living room, feeling self-conscious of their small ground floor apartment. He knew from school gossip that Bella's family were very well-off and she lived in a big house in Stratford-upon-Avon, although she herself had never mentioned it.

"It's so cool. I like your club posters," she remarked, stopping for a moment to take in Edward's collection. Whilst Bella loved urban and dance music, she had only ever been to a club twice. Both times she sat in the bar absorbing the atmosphere and enjoying the music, but had felt too self-conscious to dance.

"Hello!" Emmett bellowed from across the room, startling Bella. She turned round and Edward could see her cheeks darken with blush as she took in Emmett, waving and grinning at her almost maniacally. "You must be Bella!"

"This clown is my big brother Emmett. Em, this is Bella, Bella Swan."

Emmett got up and Bella craned her neck to take in his size.

"Nice to meet you Emmett," she murmured, clearly somewhat intimidated.

"You too! Baby Bro here's been looking forward to your visit all day!"

"Emmett!" Edward was mortified at Emmett's use of his affectionate pet name.

"So have I." Bella stepped a little closer to Edward's side and her little finger brushed his. He instantly relaxed.

"Edward, just be thankful Esme's not here. She'd have gushed all over you going out with a girl!" Emmett joked. "Esme's our big sister," he added by way of explanation for Bella's sake.

"She and her husband are doctors right? And they work abroad?"

"Well remembered!" Edward was impressed. He'd only mentioned Esme once in passing. "Shall we head out then?"

"Sure. Nice to meet you, Emmett."

"You too, Bella! Be good, Bro!"

Edward led Bella out of the apartment and towards the café. His hand brushed against hers and after a couple of minutes, he took the bold step of taking hold of it. Bella immediately gripped his back, allowing their fingers to interlink. A warm and electric feeling danced up his arm, a feeling to which he was fast becoming addicted.

"Is this café all right, Bella love? It seemed right funky inside, and they do a good veggie selection…"

"It's perfect. It seems cosy," she replied, smiling broadly, her chocolate eyes twinkling. They mesmerised him, every single time.

They managed to find a small table at the back, and made light conversation about school and their families.

"I get the impression that Emmett scared you a little earlier. He's really just a giant teddy bear, you know."

"He was very friendly, but even though you said that he was really tall, I guess I wasn't prepared for it. You two seem really close."

"We are …" Edward stopped mid-sentence, suddenly hit with the memory of the loss of his parents. It had only been three months, and he still missed Elizabeth and Edward Sr. every day. "We were … all of us." He swallowed back the pain and forced himself to smile.

Suddenly he felt Bella's small warm hand on his thigh. She leaned in to murmur in his ear.

"What's wrong?" she asked. "Were you thinking about your mum and dad?"

"Err, yeah. How did you know?"

"Just a feeling. Are you okay?"

"Y-yes. It's just difficult sometimes. Everything's so different down here and I feel a little out of step. Normally I'd talk to them about how I'm feeling, but the only reason I'm here is because they're not, and it's strange. I don't know … don't mind me, love. I'm just rambling …" He tried to brush it off.

"Hey, it's okay to miss them, and to talk about them. Of course it's still going to be raw for you."

She leaned into him further, instinctively placing her other hand at the back of his neck and stroking the unruly curls of auburn hair that lived there. Her soothing, calming tone of voice and her touch was exactly what he needed. The warm electric feeling burst through him and he responded by curling his arm around her back and pulling her closer, needing to feel more of her body heat.

"And if I talked about them with you now and then? Emmett still finds it too hard, but sometimes I really want to."

"Whenever you need, Edward, I'm always, _always_ here for you."

Their heads were so close that he couldn't help but look at her inviting mouth, and he noticed that she did the same. His attraction to her was magnetic, beyond control. He inched a little closer as she did the same.

"Two tomato soups and a platter of cheese and bread to share, right?" A waitress in a too-tight white shirt and black skirt hovered over them with a tray. Edward turned away from Bella reluctantly and shot an evil look at the waitress, who was unrepentant, throwing him back a 'come hither' look that he found rather vulgar.

"Yes, thank you," replied Bella politely. However, she nudged herself closer to Edward and placed her hand on his chest. Her eyes fluttered up to his as if to ask if her display of possession was welcomed. Edward showed her that it was by rewarding her with a kiss to her temple.

"Thanks," he echoed, not looking at the waitress, who placed the items down quickly before going off in a sulk. Bella grinned at him before moving away from him in order to eat.

Later, after they had finished their lunch, Edward took her hand again and they walked down The Parade, the main thoroughfare through Leamington Spa's pretty town centre.

"What would you like to do next, love?" he asked. "Did you want to look in any shops?"

"Oh no, I don't need anything," she told him. "And I don't really find browsing around much fun."

"I thought all girls loved shopping, like it was part and parcel of being a girl?"

"Guess I'm defective then!" She said it jokingly, but Edward noticed a chip of self-doubt in her tone.

Edward stopped and turned so that he was facing her.

"You're perfect, love. Quite frankly, I'm delighted to have a girlfriend who doesn't like shopping. It means that we can do things that are much more interesting!"

"Girlfriend?" Her huge brown eyes became even bigger.

"Oh, ah, yeah, I mean …" Edward looked down and toed the ground with his Timberlands. "Is that okay?"

Bella stepped forward and crushed herself to him as tightly as she could.

"More than okay!"

Edward's arms encircled her and they stood, holding each other, each not quite able to believe that they had found such perfect harmony with another person. Eventually they parted, both grinning, and this time, Edward draped his arm about her shoulders and Bella snaked her arm around his waist before they started walking again. Eventually they reached the end of The Parade by the Royal Pump Rooms and were about to walk into the park when Bella spotted a sign.

**_The Royal Leamington Spa Pump Rooms, Library and Gallery:_**

_We are proud to present:_

_The Amazing Unsigned Competition_

_A showcase of local musical talent_

_First Place wins £200_

_3-5pm Saturday 25__th__ September in the Assembly Room_

_Free entry_

"Edward, what do you think about checking out this band competition for a while?"

"Sure, sounds good!"

They went in and found some seats at the back. There was a decent-sized crowd, although half were clearly friends and relatives of the performers. The first few bands were quite good although not outstanding, and then came a couple of truly awful singers, before a fifteen minute interval.

"Would you like some ice cream, Bella love?"

"Oh, I couldn't manage it yet. I'm still full from lunch. Don't let that stop you though. I know what you're like when don't get your sugar fix!" she said in jest, referring to a couple of days earlier when he was grumpy all day and only perked up when Bella gave him half of her blueberry muffin. He laughed and put his arm around her as they stood in line at the kiosk. Edward bought a strawberry and chocolate _Cornetto_ and they then went outside for a breath of fresh air.

"Sure you don't want some?" he asked her, waving the _Cornetto_ at her. "Just a little taste?" He placed it at her lips and she took a small lick.

"Delicious," she murmured. He took his ice cream back and took another bite of the cone before stepping closer and offering it to her. She licked the cone again.

"God, I love watching you eat. It's very ..." He stroked the side of her face with his other hand before leaning down to whisper in her ear. "I'm trying to think of a polite way of saying 'sexy' but I'm failing. Help a guy out?"

"Um ..." Bella looked away for a second before finding her inner confidence. It seemed to come much more easily in the presence of Edward's adoration. "I don't actually think there's anything wrong with the word 'sexy' but 'arousing' would work. Maybe, if you were feeling bold, 'erotic.'"

Edward swallowed hard and was about lean in to kiss her when a screechy female voice interrupted them.

"Seth, you're just going to have to sing _a capella!_ I'm sorry I can't stay, but it's not like you're going to win anyway!"

"Leah, that's not the point...!"

Bella and Edward turned to see a raven-haired, teenage girl getting into a beat up old Nissan Micra, and a younger boy with hair a similar dark colour of around thirteen or fourteen standing on the kerb looking forlorn, holding some sheet music in one hand. As the Micra drove off, he looked like he was about to cry.

Bella let go of Edward and tapped the boy on his shoulder. Edward hovered behind.

"Hey, are you all right?"

"Yeah," the boy, Seth sniffed. "I was going to sing today and my sister was supposed to accompany me on the piano but her stupid boyfriend 'needs' her!" Seth turned towards Bella and Edward observed how his face softened as he took in how pretty she was. _I know the feeling. _

"What's the song?"

"_Amazing Grace_."

Bella turned back to look at him with pleading eyes, and Edward spoke up immediately.

"I could play that for you. I can play the piano."

"Really?" Seth's face lit up. "You wouldn't mind?"

Edward looked at Bella, who looked ecstatically happy that he'd offered to play.

"Not at all."

Half an hour later, Edward sat at an old, upright piano, while Seth took his place at the front of the short stage. He seemed nervous as he took his place in front of the microphone.

When Seth started to sing, the room went silent. His voice had a rasping, slightly high pitched tone that was utterly captivating. Edward imagined how he would sound with a full band behind him, or how his voice would sound tempered with a throbbing electronic bass. _Dance, pop, classical... whichever genre of music he chose, he would be a sensation. _

At the end of the song, the audience was on their feet clapping and stomping and whooping, asking for more. Bella had stood at the side of the stage throughout Seth and Edward's performance and when Edward slipped quietly off the stage, leaving Seth to enjoy the applause and the praise, she took him by the hand and pulled him into the deserted corridor that ran alongside the main room.

"It was so good of you to play piano for him."

"It was so good of you to see that he was upset."

Edward curled his index finger into a strand of her chocolate, brown hair before stroking her face. Bella stepped closer to him and placed her hands on his chest.

"Edward ..."

"Whenever you touch me, my heart beats a bit faster."

"Mine does the same." She brushed her hands upwards until she had curled her arms around his neck and stood on her tiptoes. "So, do you think it could be that the third time is lucky for us and our first kiss?"

Edward didn't answer her question with words, but with the kiss in question, feeling the pillowy softness of her lips, experiencing the moist, wet heat of her inviting mouth and the magnification of their intense, passionate bond for the first time.

**_End flashback._**

-cc-

_... He kisses me on the forehead. My eyes flutter open, no longer sleepy. His green eyes widen and flicker to my mouth before returning. I lean forward a little and he leans down. He rubs my bottom lip with his thumb, especially lingering at the corner where I tend to bite it, before touching it with his mouth. So many years of longing and craving overwhelm me. His scent envelops me, causing erotic heat to flood my body. I grab hold of his t-shirt and hold him to me, before deepening the kiss he started, parting my mouth, inviting him to take whatever he wants from me. He slides his tongue inside to revisit mine, and they dance sensually. I moan softly and pull on his t-shirt more, so that he tumbles onto the bed. We roll over and over until he's lying on his back and I'm on top of him. _

_He sits up without breaking our kisses and tangles his fingers into my long, dark hair. _

_"Missed you, love. Missed you so much," he whispers, before places hot, wet kisses on my chin, my jaw, my earlobe, my neck. _

_"Missed you, _mon ange_, can't believe you've come back to me..." his mouth on mine silences my words, but not my vocal responses to his touch. _

_I groan, I moan and I pant. _

_His hands move down my back, and he finds the long zip to my dark blue dress. He tugs it down, and then pulls the dress forward, over my shoulders so that it bunches around my waist. _

_"So beautiful." he murmurs, his lips against my breastbone. My navy bra is soon lost, and his lips are against my tight, puckered nipple. He licks. He sucks. He nibbles. My body's response is instant. I'm so aroused I can barely move, but I manage to pull his shirt over his head. _

_He looks like he was sculpted by Leonardo Da Vinci or Bernini. Every muscle is exquisitely defined. Every freckle, every small mark is perfect, as if placed there by design. _

_He continues to tease my nipples whilst I play with his hair, scratching his scalp and tugging at the roots. He glances up at me, and I know that he is telling me wordlessly that he still loves it, just like he loved it when we were eighteen. _

_I wriggle on his lap and the denim of his jeans rubs against my sensitive clitoris, pushing me even closer to rapture. He is rock hard underneath me, and I slide a hand between us to palm his cock briefly. He nudges me away slightly so that I arch my back, and he lifts up the bottom edge of my dress. He fingers my slit through my tights, and before I know it, he has ripped the gusset and is stroking the lace edge of my panties. _

_His fingers soon move past the lace and delve into the wetness my pussy lips have been hiding. I gasp. He takes it as encouragement to slip his fingers further into me; they find my clitoris._

_"Oh Christ... _mon ange _... so good ..." _

_He grins mischievously. He has more confidence in his sexual skills than I remember, but that doesn't surprise me. I lean forward, and with his digits delectably rubbing against my clit, kiss him with all my might._

_As two of his fingers find their way deep inside my pussy and I ride his hand, my fingers find his button fly; I unbutton them all the way and pull out his long, hard cock. It is better than I remember. I collect his pearly pre-cum and taste it before I resume touching the head with my thumb. _

_"Oh Bella, your hand on my cock feels amazing," he whispers. "But I need more, please, love?"_

_He never needs to ask. When it comes to me, he already has it all, ready for the taking. I nod slowly, and he nudges me onto my back. He pushes down his boxers and jeans before positioning himself over me. I raise my knees up and push my panties to the side. He strokes the head of his cock against my exposed pussy, up and down and up and down, before slowly, gently pushing in. _

_The feeling as he fills me up is intense bliss. This is where he belongs. _

_With me. _

_Inside me. _

_He is half of me. _

_He moves quickly, brushing my clit with his fingers as he goes deeper, faster, harder, pounding and thrusting into me. I press my heels into his ass, encouraging him. As he kisses and nips my shoulder and neck, he suddenly hits my hot spot and my clit at the same time, and I can feel myself on the point of explosion ..._

Bella awoke with a start, the back of her head drenched with sweat, tingling all over. She checked herself. Her neck was stiff from sleeping in the chair, and she was still wearing her dress. She rubbed her legs together. Her tights were intact, although the crotch was damp from her dream-induced arousal. _Damn it, only a dream, and to have it in the hospital, of all places! _

She got up and freshened herself up as best she could in the ladies' loos. It was seven a.m., and as she walked back to the ward, Bella could see and hear the increase in activity as more nurses and doctors arrived to take over the daytime shift. A middle-aged female nurse and a young male doctor were doing some checks on Jessica when she returned, so she stayed outside, watching through the large, observation window.

Footsteps behind her made her turn round, and she was stunned to see Edward in front of her, dressed in a long-sleeved, black t-shirt and jeans, his hair wild and still damp from his shower. Her hand flew to her tummy as she tried to press the surprised butterflies away.

"Hey Bella."

"Hi," she murmured. "What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't sleep. I was, uh, worried." _But more about you than Jessica, callous as that sounds. "_How is she?" he asked. "It's got to be bad if she's still in Intensive Care."

"It's not great." Bella explained what the doctor in A+E had told her. "He gave me this leaflet. I'd never heard of it."

"I have, unfortunately," he muttered. "I've never taken it but I've seen a few people who've had really bad trips on it."

"I know Jessica is a bit hedonistic and impulsive, but she's never done drugs before, Edward. I just don't know why she'd start tonight."

Just then, the doctor came out of the room.

"Hi, Bella is it? You're Jessica's cousin? I'm Dr Molina. "

"Yes. This is Edward, my, uh ..." she glanced at Edward. _Well, you're, my everything; but how would you describe us?_

"I'm a friend of the family," he answered smoothly.

"Nice to meet you, Edward. Now Bella, Jessica's doing a lot better than last night. We're pretty sure that she'll be able to breathe for herself again if we take out the tube."

"Oh, that's great! What happens after that?"

"We'll observe her here for the rest of the day, and when she's more awake and alert, we'll transfer her to a standard ward. All being well, she'll be good enough to go home tomorrow morning."

"Brilliant news. Thank you, Doctor."

"You're welcome." The doctor scurried away to join the nurse at the next patient's room.

As Bella turned towards Edward to say something, she shivered and rubbed her arms. The air conditioning was fierce in the ICU and her thin, silver shrug was no protection.

"Oh, hey, here..." Edward whipped out a grey, zip-up hoodie from his messenger bag and held it up so she could slip her arms into it.

"What about you?"

"I'm fine."

Bella was too cold to argue. She slid her arms into the warm garment and zipped it up. Her loose hair got caught under the hood but before she could flip it out, Edward had snaked his warm hand around the back of her neck and done it for her, causing sparks of want to dance over her skin where he touched her. She turned around.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Suddenly she was crying, great big sobs and fat, plopping tears, overcome by the events of the night and by the tenderness Edward had just shown her; it was tenderness she had missed every single day for twelve years.

"Shh ... shh ..." Edward enfolded her into his arms and held her against his chest. Bella clung onto him, trying to reabsorb everything about being in his embrace, from the feeling of safety and calm to his delicious smell; like honey, lemon and ginger.

The first thought Edward had as Bella clutched at his waist and cried softly, her hot tears creating a wet patch on his chest, was that she still smelled of strawberries and jasmine. He had been all over the world, but there was no scent as comforting, as homey, as Bella's. She still felt the same in his arms, so delicate, so soft.

_I've missed this. _

_I've missed her. _

The plain and simple truth hit Edward like a ton of bricks.

_Oh, fucking hell, there is no getting over her. Bella, you will always own me and my heart. _

_I am still in love with you. I always will be. _

He was about to kiss the top of her head, but they were interrupted.

"Bella, Edward?"

They reluctantly parted to see Mike and Alice approaching. Mike took one look at Bella's tearstained face and thought the worst.

"What's happened?"

"Oh, no, she's better, Mike." Bella brushed away her tears. "It just got a bit much, you know?" Bella replied. Mike's expression softened with relief.

"Sure, sweetie," understood Alice, who kept her expression sympathetic, although inside she was dancing with joy. _Yay! Edward's out of denial! This could all work out after all!_

"Did you guys get any sleep?" asked Bella. "I hope you weren't up all night."

"No, Jazzy and I got plenty. You know me, I'm an early riser!" Alice handed Bella a Harrods jute bag with some clothes in it. "Your indigo denim shirt dress, and a purple sweater, plus some essentials. I thought you might want to change."

"That's really thoughtful of you, thanks Alice. I'll be back in a minute." She went to the loo, washed her face and quickly changed out of her dress and tights.

"Better?" Edward asked when she walked back in. Alice was sitting in the chair in Jessica's room chatting away at her, whilst Mike stood watching forlornly at the window. Bella went to stand next to him, and Edward, suddenly unable to be more than a couple of feet away from her, stood next to her. He idly placed his hand on the small of her back. Bella's shoulders instantly dropped as heat from his touch radiated through her.

Unwilling to let herself think about what Edward's touch meant, she turned to Mike.

"Thanks for coming down, Mike. I'm sure Jess appreciates it."

"Sure. I, um, just wanted to see how she was..." Mike's gaze drifted over to Edward and the position of his hand. _Weird. I thought he didn't really like Bella._ "I'm happy to sit with her for a few hours, Bella, to give you a break."

Alice, who had, at that point spotted Bella, got up and stepped out of the room.

"Bella, you look wiped out. Why don't you let Edward take you back to his place for some rest? Mike can text if anything changes," suggested Alice.

"Um ..."

"So stubborn, aren't you?" Edward stroked the small of her back once more before letting go. "Come on, Bella. My apartment's five minutes away. You're no good to Jess wiped out. We'll come back when the doctors do their afternoon rounds."

"All right then, if you don't mind." She turned to Edward. "You're sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure," he reassured her. "Let's go."

After explaining their plan to the nurse, Edward showed Bella to his car, a small but sleek, dark blue, Volvo C30.

"Great car," she murmured. "Great colour. You don't drive this in Warwickshire though," she added, thinking of his larger black Volvo XC90.

"No, this car's better in the city; it's nippier, easier to park and uses less petrol."

"I see," Bella yawned the end of her answer.

"Sleep, Bella. Don't fight it."

Bella closed her eyes and was out within seconds. Edward glanced at her slumbering profile throughout the drive. In fact, he was so absorbed and captivated by her proximity, that he drove past his apartment.

"Shit."

He reversed up the quiet street, and pulled into a space in front of his building. He got out of the car, came round to the passenger side, picked up Bella in his arms and carried her into his apartment. He managed to open the door without dropping her, although it was a close one after fumbling with the keys, and then deposited her on his large bed.

"Mmm ... _mon ange,_" she mumbled in her sleep as he eased her shoes off. Edward stopped in his tracks. _She called me ... does she still think of me that way? _

"Sleep, Bella, sleep."

Edward found himself crouching beside her face as she slept on her back, face turned towards him. He brushed her loose hair back and pulled off the ponytail band she always kept on her left wrist. He then tied it up in a knot on top of her head, like he used to watch her do every time they slept together.

"Edward ... miss you ... stay with me ..."

"I want to, love, I do. I miss you too," he whispered to her sleeping form. "But it would hurt too much, if, in the morning, you turned round and told me it was just sleep-talk, that you don't miss me after all."

"_So many moments we waste, too many heartbeats away ..." _mumbled Bella, reciting the last lines of _Sweet Talk_ to him.

"Oh, Bella," Edward rubbed his thumb over her soft, rosy lips. "I just need some time. You hurt me so badly. I need to understand why you doubted us, love."

He kissed her on the forehead, wrapped her in the duvet, and went to nap on the sofa.

-cc-

* * *

**AN: A Cornetto is an all-in-one wrapped ice cream cone with chocolate that is sold in the UK. I don't think that they're sold elsewhere, but apologies if I'm wrong and you already know about them and their yumminess! **

**Next update will be next Sunday. **

**CC xxx**


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: Hello everyone and thank you for all your lovely reviews this week. Once again, I was rubbish at replying but please believe that I appreciate each one. **

**Last chapter, I totally forgot to thank my super-amazing pre-reader and beta SunflowerFran3759 for her awesome skills. So double dose of gratitude for her this week! Thank you so much! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**CC xxx**

**Chapter Nineteen**

August 2012

Bella awoke with a start for the second time in eight hours, the back of her head drenched with sweat again, although this time she could not recollect her dreams. She looked around and realised that she didn't recognise her surroundings. She took a deep, calming breath and was flooded with the honey and lemon scent of Edward. _He must have carried me. _The bedroom was neat and tidy, expensively, but sparsely decorated in monochrome and shades of grey; _Definitely Edward's minimalist style. _In a plug socket in the far corner of the room was Edward's lion night light. The alarm clock on the bedside table read 2.15pm.

Bella suddenly felt dizzy, and she heard her stomach rumble, reminding her that she hadn't eaten since having a cookie the previous afternoon_. _

_Food. Need food. _

She went to the bathroom, freshened up quickly, and then headed out to the main living area. Edward was sprawled out on a large, grey, leather sofa, asleep under a black, woollen blanket. She spotted her handbag on an armchair and checked her phone. There was one text from Mike.

**_Hi B. Jess better, more awake. Doctor coming back 4.30pm. Can u come back then? Mike_**

She texted him back to say that she would be there. She found the kitchen, just off the living area, and shut the door so the sound of her pottering would not wake up Edward. She found some Cinnamon Toast Crunch and milk, and turned on the coffee maker.

As she ate, she thought about Edward's warm behaviour towards earlier today when he had suggested that she come to his apartment. She had gotten used to him spending the minimum of time with her, as well as his aloof behaviour. Even when they wrote songs together, they mostly worked separately, with him sending her the music and her returning the completed lyrics to him, only meeting briefly to finalise the tracks when Alice was present. His emails were brief and to the point. If he passed her in the corridor he would merely nod his acknowledgment of her presence.

Bella considered that even though she had hurt Edward so badly, when she needed comfort from him, he gave it to her, letting her hold onto him and cry in his arms. Even though he was at the hospital for Jessica, and not for her, she had felt something shift between them. Whilst she held no hope of him ever wanting her back as a girlfriend, Bella hoped that in time, they could at least be friends and colleagues who respected and trusted each other.

Bella's thoughts turned to her cousin. Mike said that she was a little better, and she hoped that meant that Jessica would be able to go home the next day, as Dr Molina had predicted.

Having finished her breakfast, and two cups of coffee, she went to the sink to wash up.

"Don't worry about the plates, Bella. My cleaning service will wash up." Edward's voice, still husky from sleep, drifted into her ears from the door. "Hi."

"'Hi," she mumbled, conscious of her crumpled state. "Thank you for putting me up. Sorry for helping myself, but I was starving. I hope you don't mind." She automatically picked up a mug and poured him some coffee, mixing in a single spoon of sugar. "Here."

"Of course I don't mind." He took the mug from her. "You remembered how I like my coffee."

"Of course I remember ..." Something in his soft expression made Bella lose her words.

Edward found himself stepping closer to her. The kitchen was quite small, making it possible for him to get from the door to the sink under the window in two strides.

"You remember ... what?"

"Everything," she whispered, "every, single thing. You still like Cinnamon Toast Crunch."

Edward was within touching distance of Bella. He had woken up rock hard, Bella's pretty face foremost in his mind, like he did most days. But the difference this time was that he didn't fight it. He wasn't angry with himself about it; however, Edward knew that despite his shift in attitude, he couldn't just pick up where he left off when it came to Bella. First he needed to understand why she left him. By avoiding her as much as possible, he had never let himself be in a position to find out.

"Yeah," he agreed, smiling slightly. "You still keep a ponytail band around your wrist."

"I do indeed. Did you tie my hair up for me, by the way? Or did I do that by myself?"

"I did it. I remembered that you don't like your hair in your face when you sleep."

"That's right."

Bella had inched closer to him, too. _It feels like he's about to touch me. Oh, Edward, please touch me. _

The shrill ring of Bella's mobile phone interrupted the rising tension in the room.

_Rosalie_

"Sorry, I'd better take this. It's my sister."

"Of course." Bella flashed him an apologetic smile.

"Hi Rosie, have you had any luck?"

_"Yeah, Aunt Cora rang Dad back this morning. They're on the ship and there aren't any disembarkation points for two days, not until they dock in Miami, so it's going to be at least three days before they can get home. Any news?"_

"She's a little better. I left the hospital for a sleep but I'm going back in a couple of hours. Mike's with her right now."

_"Oh, OK. Aunt Cora's going to phone again this evening. Is that too soon?"_

"No, that's fine. We'll have an update by then."

_"Great. Talk to you soon, Bellsie."_

"Yep. Give Dad and the twins a kiss from me."

_"Will do. Bye!"_

"Bye Rosie."

Bella hung up the call and turned back to Edward. He hadn't moved. They were still standing with mere inches between them.

"My aunt's been in touch. They can't get back for three days."

"Oh. But you said that Jessica's a bit better?"

"Yeah, Mike texted, he says the doctors are going to be coming round at 4.30pm."

"Right." Edward felt jealousy rumble through him.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"No, I know that face. What's the matter?" Bella pressed. Edward didn't want to admit his feelings about her and Mike being such close friends.

"I, um ... Jessica ... who's going to look after her when she comes out of the hospital, will it fall to you?"

"I guess so." Bella felt a surge of disappointment and jealousy at Edward's concern over Jessica. _I can't talk about Jessica with him. It hurts so much._ "So, you're heading to Stockholm in a couple of days, right?"

"Yes."

Bella hugged herself. Seeing him so often for two months had spoiled her, and he was going to be away for at least three weeks, first producing in Stockholm and then spending two weeks in Ibiza, DJ-ing, something he did at least twice a year.

"You'll have to make sure you send me the samples you've been working on so that I can get started on the next set of library tracks, and hopefully the showcase will throw up some bespoke work ..."

"Bella, they can wait. If you need to take time off for Jessica, that's OK"

"I can look after her and write at the same time. I'd go mad without writing. It's kept me sane all these years, with all the ups and downs ..."

"I heard that things have been difficult for you and your family over the past few years." Bella nodded in response. Edward took a deep breath and continued. "Bella, you and me, we've not talked about the past few years, about the things we've done, where we've been. It's more to do with me than you. I know I've not been friendly. It was really difficult seeing you again, and I'm sorry about how I've acted towards you."

"I expected it. To be honest, I was really surprised that you agreed to work with me at all. I could tell from the moment you saw me in Esme's kitchen that you were still bitter and angry about what happened between us. I'm surprised we're even having this conversation now."

"Well, I'm sick of being angry." He stepped closer. "We're in each other's lives again and me being angry isn't helpful, not at all."

"No, it's not," Bella agreed. "You don't know how sorry I am though. I hurt you, and that was never my intention."

"I need to understand what happened, Bella. It was so sudden ... When I get back, perhaps we could meet, just the two of us, and talk about everything?"

"Yes, please." She glanced up at him and whispered, "I've missed you, Edward, but I know that I have a lot to explain before you could begin to trust me again."

"And I've missed you. I want to deny it, to say that I do trust you, because a big part of me does, love, implicitly, but I was so heartbroken ..." Edward's words tailed off as he caught Bella's startled expression. "What?"

"You called me 'love,'" she whispered. "It's been a very long time ..._ mon ange."_

"Fuck ..."

They got caught up in a staring match, each unable to tear their eyes away. The atmosphere had become charged with the mutual burn of their affections, and soon Edward couldn't stand it any longer. Neither could Bella.

He surged forward.

She leapt into his embrace.

He wrapped one arm around her and placed another on the back of her neck, cradling the back of her head.

She wrapped her long legs around his waist and her arms around his neck.

Consumed by desire, their lips crashed together fervently. Their kiss was desperate, frantic, filled with the pent-up longing created by their twelve, years apart. Edward eventually turned his head to catch a much needed breath, but any rational part of his brain that might have told him to stop was overshadowed by his love and lust and want for the beautiful creature in his arms, and his mouth quickly found hers again.

Bella had always been a somewhat inhibited, careful person, but when it came to Edward, she had always loved and given herself to him wholeheartedly, and very enthusiastically. This encounter was no different. She let him take control, and he put a little pressure at the back of her neck and her head to gently direct the way he wanted to kiss her.

Edward felt completely pulled in, totally at her mercy, perhaps even more so because she allowed him to steer their encounter. He would take their passion as far as she would let him. He took two steps forward so that Bella's bum was resting on the kitchen counter, and lifted her up. He explored her mouth with his, and then kissed down her neck as he slid his hand up her thighs and under her dress. His other hand left her neck and came round to her chest to feel her breast. Bella arched into him, moaning softly.

"More … please..."

"Yes..."

As Bella reached for the button fly on his jeans, Edward found the edge of her navy lace briefs. Bella lifted her bottom to allow him to pull them off of her completely before resuming her mission to free him from his jeans and shorts. Edward helped her out, pushing his clothing to his ankles, freeing his painfully, hard dick.

Bella reached for him and stroked his warm, hard length up and down. Edward closed his eyes to relish the feel of her delicate, but insistent touch. But it was so exquisite that he could feel himself getting turned on faster than he anticipated.

He curled his hand over hers and she looked up. Bella understood without being told and let go, before opening her legs wider. Edward didn't need to touch her to know that she was ready for him. He could smell her sweet sexiness. He moved closer, and touched the head of his member against her moist heat. Her slit was full of wetness and as he pressed against her entrance, the tip of his hard cock became drenched.

He glanced up to meet her eyes and she nodded at his silent check. Edward latched his lips to the junction of her neck and shoulders and then slid slowly into her opening.

"Ahh!" Bella cried, gripping onto his shoulders and digging her nails in.

"OK?" Edward panted into her neck. _She feels so tight, so perfect. _

"Yes! Oh, yes!"

"Good."

Edward hooked one of his arms under her leg and began to thrust as deeply as he could manage. He pressed his other hand to her lower abdomen and hooked his thumb around her hip. Bella leaned forward so her chest touched his, her ass just resting on the edge of the counter, and held on tight. In doing so, Edward's cock rubbed over and over her g-spot, and she felt her pleasure start to unfold from deep within her.

"Edward ... _mon ange ... _keep ... amazing..."

"Amazing ..."

He kissed her lips once again before sucking at her chin. He kept thrusting fast. He was close and he could tell she was too. It had been almost twelve years since they last made love, and Edward couldn't remember a single, sexual encounter he'd had since that time that had felt anywhere close to how good Bella felt around him._ We always were perfect together. _

His hand slipped off her hip and came between them. He brushed his thumb against her clitoris just once, and suddenly Bella was screaming.

"Oh, holy fuck, Edward! EDWARD!"

As her canal walls clamped down all around him like a vice, he let go too, and came deep inside her, too overcome to make any sound other than a guttural, animalistic roar.

Bella didn't let go. She remained wrapped around him, resting her head against his chest, nuzzling against his t-shirt with her nose.

Edward didn't let go either. Instead he picked her up and sat down with her on the chair at his kitchen table. They stayed like that for a while, just catching their breaths, until Edward finally spoke.

"That was unexpected."

"Uh-huh." Bella couldn't bring herself to look at him as shame suddenly flooded her. _What was I thinking? He's not yours anymore, Bella! He belongs to Jessica. _

"Hey." He tilted her chin up. She swallowed back tears. _He's not mine. _Bella looked up at Edward's kitchen clock.

"I'd better get ready to go to the hospital. I'll just be ten minutes in the bathroom." She slid off his lap and stood up.

"No problem. I'll drive us over when you're ready," he whispered, confused by her detached tone.

By the time Edward and Bella returned to the hospital, having driven over in near silence, Jessica was awake, although groggy, and had been moved to a general observation ward. Mike had stayed with her throughout. Over the course of the evening, Jasper, Eric, Austin, Bree and Diego all came to visit, albeit briefly. Jessica's parents had phoned Bella, and after some discussion, it was decided that Bella would take Jessica back to her family home in Basingstoke and stay with her until they returned. Jessica's alertness improved by the minute, and she was able to speak to her mother and father briefly.

At eight pm, the nurses asked everyone to leave, and informed Bella that Jessica was almost certain to be discharged by the following lunchtime. As Bella was staying with Alice and Jasper, she was to travel with them north to Primrose Hill, and Edward was to return to his flat in Chelsea.

"Thank you Edward," she murmured, aware of their friends watching them with interest.

"Any time. I'm glad Jess is going to be fine." There was a short pause before Edward stepped forward and hugged Bella tightly. "I'll see you when I get back."

"Great," she replied audibly, before dropping her voice to a whisper in his ear. "And I'm sorry about earlier, you know, in the kitchen ..."

Edward felt her expression of regret like a punch in the stomach.

"Right."

He let go of her abruptly before turning on his heel and walking away.

That night, whilst he was packing, there was a knock at his door. When he opened it, Jasper was standing there with a six-pack of imported peach Snapple.

"Hey man, can I come in?"

"Sure, I'm just packing for the trip."

"Cool."

Jasper followed Edward to his bedroom where he perched on the bed while Edward continued filling his suitcase.

"Where did you get the Snapple from?"

"It was buried in our pantry. Cyndy must have brought it over last time she came to visit and Alice probably hid it," Jasper replied, referring to Alice's younger sister Cynthia, who was a dentist in like their parents, but in San Francisco. "If I'd known about it before..."

"It'd have gone faster than you could say 'Lone Star State!'" Edward joked, knowing his best friend's fondness for Snapple, which was hard to come by in England. "What brings you here so late?"

"I just wanted to see if you were all right. This evening at the hospital you were pretty quiet, and then there was that huggin' thing with Bella. Something's goin' on."

Edward sighed and sat cross-legged on the floor amidst the piles of neat, folded clothing. Jasper threw him a bottle of the Snapple before opening one for himself.

"You came all the way from Primrose Hill back into Chelsea, to see if I was okay?"

"Yeah, I did. Now quit stallin' and tell me what's on your heart."

Edward sighed loudly.

"I'm really confused, Jazz. All this time I've been telling myself that I don't feel anything for Bella, when really, I've been so angry and bitter because of the way she left me. I've spent the last twelve years convinced that she was cold and heartless because she walked away from me."

"But that's changed?" Edward nodded gravely. "Why? Because of what happened with Jessica?"

"You saw her, Jazz! All of us were standing around like idiots, while Bella... she... she was phenomenal. She looked after Jessica and organised all of us, while he reassured Bree, who was really frightened. She held it together while the rest of us were losing our shit, and only lost hers later, when Jessica was improving."

"Huh? How d'ya know that?"

Edward explained about coming back into the hospital earlier, but didn't mention their steamy kitchen encounter.

"Bella's essentially the same sweet, bright, selfless, beautiful girl I fell in love with years ago. I want her so badly, but I'm still so hurt about our split, about how she left me. We had something amazing, and then she lost faith in us."

"What about Jessica?"

"What about her?"

"Well, you gotta handle this situation carefully, man. How's Jessica gonna feel when she finds out you still got the hots for your ex, who happens to be her cousin?"

"What?" Edward got up and paced the room.

"Ya know, it's not gonna look good if you go from being with Jessica to restartin' somethin' with the fair Bella ..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Edward stopped in his tracks. "I'm not sleeping with Jessica! I haven't even kissed the girl!"

"Seriously? But you're so flirty all the time!"

"I toned it down though, like Alice asked!"

"Yeah, but you didn't put an end to it, even when it was obvious Jessica was really into you. I just assumed that you were getting it on in private."

"Shit! Does everyone think that?"

"Well, yeah."

"Do you think _Bella_ thinks that?"

"Probably, and she's surely too shy to ask Jessica for confirmation. You know her, she don't pry."

"Oh, God, what am I going to do?" Edward felt queasy inside. _Does Bella feel bad because she thinks she's betrayed her cousin? _

_Shit. Shit. Shit._

"Edward, listen man. Go away; think about it whilst you're in Sweden and in Ibiza. A bit of distance should help you decide what you want to do next."

-cc-

The next afternoon, whilst Edward boarded a plane for Sweden, Bella collected Jessica from the hospital and Mike drove them to Jessica's family home in Basingstoke. Mike had insisted upon driving and Edward had insisted that he use his C30 instead of Mike's smaller, rather old Suzuki Swift. Jessica slept for most of the journey and hardly made conversation. She was very subdued, and Bella hoped that it wasn't a permanent change.

Mike didn't want to leave Jessica but he had work to do in London whilst Edward was away, and so, after Bella rustled up a supper of scrambled eggs, roasted tomatoes and toast, he got ready to make a move.

"Jess, take care of yourself, okay? Hopefully I'll see you soon."

"Wait, Mike!" Jessica cried, grabbing for his arm. Bella turned at her exclamation, surprised by the desperation in her voice. _What about Edward? _

"Jess?"

"Thank you for sitting with me when I was in the hospital; for reading to me, and for singing to me."

"You noticed that? I thought you were asleep."

"I was kind of half awake, and it meant a lot to me."

"You're ... you're welcome."

"Could you come back sometime soon? I know you have to work and stuff, but please? I know it's a big ask, but I'm going to miss having you nearby. My parents will be here, but they'd love you. Please?"

"Of course, Jess, I'll be back on Saturday."

Jessica smiled, the first time since before her collapse. Mike crouched next to her on the sofa, enveloped her in his arms and kissed her on the forehead before heading out.

After Mike left, Bella brought Jessica some camomile tea and sat next to her.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"So, do you feel like talking about what happened yet, or is it too soon?"

"I can talk about it. I just don't really know what happened."

"It came on so quickly. After the gig, you were drunk but not that bad. But when we came to collect you in the bar, you were wasted."

"See, I don't really remember much after stomping off to the bar whilst you guys finished the clear-up. I wanted to go clubbing, right?"

"Yep."

"I sat down at the bar, and the next thing I remember after that was waking up to the sound of Mike's voice reading me Alice in Wonderland from his Kindle."

Bella told her what she had seen, including Jessica's insistence that she'd been bought her drink by Jacob Black.

"You were climbing a lamppost one second, and struggling to breathe the next. It was perhaps the most surreal and scary thing I've ever seen."

"I'm so sorry, Bella. I'm so sorry!" Jessica cried.

"Just tell me something honestly, Jessie. Did you take drugs that night? The GHB stuff?"

"No! I swear! I know I was being a pain in the ass that night. Edward all but told me that before the showcase even began, but I would never take GHB! Never! I mean, even pot made me throw up! I'd never take anything harder!"

"Maybe your drink was spiked, then. How many drinks did you accept from strange guys?"

Jessica looked at her cousin guiltily.

"Mike bought me my first one, and I saw the bartender make it so there's no way it was tampered with. Then I bought one shot of tequila for me, and a Bud Light for Edward before the showcase, which he didn't want, but after that, I don't think I bought myself a single drink. I think I remember the showcase finishing with Bree's performance, but after that, it's all a bit of a blur."

"And you don't remember seeing Jacob Black? You were quite insistent at the time."

"I keep getting these little flashbacks, but nothing I could be sure about. I keep seeing a tall, dark-haired, buff guy and a pink drink, but I couldn't tell you if it was Jacob or not."

"We can contact the police. Have them look at the CCTV footage."

"No. I just want to feel normal again. I want to forget it ever happened and move on."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I need to, like, totally sort my head out."

"Well, there'll be enough time to do that over the next week or so. Alice, Jasper and Edward insisted that you not come back to work until you were 100%."

-cc-

"Please, Alice!"

"Katie, I've got about a billion things going on today! We're leaving for Warwickshire super early tomorrow so that we can have a day catching up before the weekend. I gotta juggle all the phone calls from the showcase and sort out the next round of publicity for Bree and ..."

"It's just for an hour around 8.30 pm. Their sound's really distinctive and edgy, and I like them, but I just can't decide if they would sell millions or nothing at all. The recording doesn't do their sound justice, plus there's something different about them I can't put my finger on."

Alice took in the sweet, pleading face of Katie Jonas, one of AJE Records' best junior A&R officers, and conceded that if she was asking for help, she probably needed it.

"What's their name again?"

"Pain Novocaine."

"Well straight off, that's gonna have to change. Yuck!"

That evening, Alice and Katie went to the University of London Students' Union, known as ULU, to see Pain Novocaine in action as one of the warm up acts for The Hunters, an up and coming band from the island of Jersey who described their style as 'urban folk pop.' They had just been signed by Prince Records and were developing a steady following.

Within ten minutes of Pain Novocaine's set commencing, Alice knew that she and Edward would not be able to work with the band. Katie was right about their distinctive, fast-guitar driven sound, which bordered on the ear-splitting. Half the crowd seemed to like it, but the rest were clearly unimpressed and were at the bar, complaining about the noise. Alice was sure that they would sound terrible on the radio, and was convinced that the bitch-brow on the lead singer, a miniscule blonde, was indicative of a permanent attitude problem.

"Sorry this was a bust, boss," Katie apologised when they were at the bar. "Hearing them again, I can see that they aren't a group we can market, even though I like them myself."

"It's okay; I completely get your dilemma. As you get more experience, you'll learn which acts are sellable and which aren't. Separating marketability from your own, personal, musical taste is something everyone in A&R struggles with."

"Thanks, boss! Do you want to stick around to hear The Hunters?"

"Sure, for a while. I like this band. They've got real potential. Their sound's a better fit for Prince Records but I do kinda wish we'd got to at least meet with them."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, Mrs Whitlock," a smooth voice with a clipped, posh accent murmured. Alice whipped round to see a very tall, muscular, dark haired man in his mid thirties smiling warmly at her, dressed in a crisp, tight white shirt, designer jeans and black pointed shoes. Alice approved of his clothing choices but he seemed a bit too cocky for her liking. "May I buy you and your colleague a drink?"

"Err ... we're good thanks." Alice held up her bottle of Corona. "Sorry, have we met?"

"Not really, I'm Jacob Black, I manage The Hunters. I was at The AJE Records' Showcase this week." He held out his hand and Alice shook it.

"Great to meet you. Sorry, I don't remember seeing you there, but it was quite a busy night."

"That's all right. It was busy and I was at the back. I was actually planning to get in contact next week to set up a meeting to discuss some bespoke writing for the band. Just lyrics, as the band write their own music. Now that they've landed the contract with Prince, they need some new stuff."

"Sure." Alice whipped out a business card. "We do all our writing and production in our Warwickshire studios now, so any meetings would take place there."

"Not a problem, I grew up in Stratford. In fact, Isabella Swan and I go way back."

Alice didn't ask any further questions about how he knew Bella. The tone of his voice was dripping with innuendo and clearly belied his intention to pursue her. _Hmm. Let's see what a little competition does to Edward. _

"Oh, really? Well, in that case you've got to come visit our studios."

-cc-

Jessica's parents arrived as expected, two days after her discharge home. She continued to remain subdued and reflective, although she was physically recovered. Bella stayed one more night and then headed back home to Stratford-upon Avon. Alice, Jasper, and AJE Records' production and marketing teams had already returned to Warwickshire after Jessica's discharge, except Mike who was staying in London and taking his holiday leave whilst Edward was away.

Bella's house was quiet when she returned.

"Hello, anybody?"

A note was propped up against a plate of misshapen chocolate chip cookies covered in glitter.

_Bellsie, _

_Welcome Home!_

_Sorry we're not there for your homecoming but we've headed to Birmingham last-minute. Dad got free tickets to the Sea Life Centre so we're taking the kids. We're staying over at Dad's apartment tonight. The kids are so bloody excited, and actually so am I. Come along if you're up to it, but I imagine that after the shitty few days you've had, you'll want to enjoy having the house to yourself tonight, but please come into the city for Sunday lunch tomorrow, OK? Text me when you get on the train. _

_Love you _

_Rosie_

_PS: I thought I'd give the whole baking thing a try with these cookies. They didn't come out quite as nicely as yours... Gemma says I'm never to be allowed to bake again. She insisted on covering them in glitter. Hope they don't taste too awful._

Bella picked up a cookie. Despite their odd shape, they tasted good.

_Bath and cookies all alone. What a way to get over my renewed heartbreak. _

The next morning, Bella got the train into Birmingham and walked over to Charlie's apartment, ten minutes away.

Charlie opened the door to Bella and was greeted with a very enthusiastic hug.

"Hi Dad, I'm so happy to see you! Missed you so much!"

"I missed you too, my little lamb!"

The sound of little feet running on the laminate floor interrupted their father-daughter hug.

"AAAH! WELCOME HOME AUNTIE BELLA!" The twins surrounded her and held on tight. "We missed you!"

"Oh, babies! I missed you too!"

"Is Jessie better now?" asked George.

"Yes she is."

"You're not going away again, are you?" asked Gemma.

"Not for quite a while, Gem." Bella kissed her niece on the cheek.

"Got one of those for your big sis?" Rosalie grinned as she came up behind the twins.

"Of course," Bella hugged her sister and duly kissed her on her cheek too. "Wow, Rosie, you look really happy … really relaxed." Bella couldn't help but notice that Rosalie had a sparkle in her eye and a certain glow about her person.

"I am. Great job, great kids, my cousin's better and my sister's back home. I'm totally ace!" Rosalie replied.

"Mummy, Auntie Bella, we're hungry!"

"OK then, you'd better go get ready for lunch!" The kids rushed to put their jackets and shoes on.

"Where are we headed?" asked Bella. "Unless you're both are going to pull off the surprise of a lifetime and actually cook!"

Charlie and Rosalie laughed out loud.

"No, my little lamb, the kitchen can remain your domain. The kids would like to go to the Mexican place on the corner with the giant sombreros on the window and the huge indoor play area. That okay with you?"

"Of course, it's just nice to go out to eat. It's been such a long time since we went to a restaurant as a family."

After stuffing their little faces full of nachos, fajitas and ice cream, Gemma and George ran off to play, and Rosalie and Charlie seized the opportunity to talk to Bella. Charlie had agreed to keep Rosalie's relationship with Emmett quiet, but they both agreed that she needed to know about the developments with regards to Royce, and duly filled her in.

"So Billy lied to us? But why would he? He's your best friend ..." Suddenly Bella got it. "Jacob must be involved. Billy would do anything to protect his golden boy, even betray you, Dad," she realised, unable to keep some disdain from her voice. "It wouldn't have taken much for Jacob to be tempted, and then caught up in all the deceit."

"That's what we think, but obviously, we can't prove it at the moment," said Charlie.

"Jacob's back from Jersey, Bellsie, and has been asking about you."

"Ugh. Do I have to see him?"

"I know it's a big ask, Bella, but while the CPS are doing their investigations, we need to behave as normal. We need to pretend that nothing's changed between us and the Blacks, and that includes socialising with them"

"Dad, even if I didn't know what you just told me, I'd want to avoid Jacob."

"I know, but Billy's been asking for us to have dinner with him and Jacob a couple of times, and I don't think I'll be able to put him off permanently.

"Well, okay, I guess I can put up with Jacob over the course of a dinner."

"Um, you'll have to see him more often than that, Bellsie."

"Why? What's he even doing back here?"

"Jacob's got a new job. He's turned to music for his latest career move. He's managing and financially backing a band called The Hunters. Heard of them?"

"I don't think so."

"You will.

Alice has booked them to meet you for some lyrical work."

-cc-

**AN: I can't wait to hear what you think of this chapter's events! **

**The provisional posting schedule is for Chapter 20 to hopefully go out on Wednesday, and Chapter 21 next Sunday. Of course, with my crazy life, that may change if I end up working late on Wednesday. **

**Thanks for reading! **

**CC xxx**


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: Hello everyone! Wow, so many lovely reviews and new followers!**

**A huge thanks must go to evilnat, who has nominated FFtB for Fic of the Week at The Lemonade Stand. Please, please vote!**

**Of course, I can't forget my super-duper pre-reader and beta, SunflowerFran3759, who polishes up my chapters and sorts out my punctuation and is generally lovely. **

**Flashback chapter today, and we'll be back to the present on Sunday, with Chapter 21. **

**The disclaimer bit ...**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

**Chapter Twenty**

Late October 2004

"Come on Rosie, push!" Bella cried, holding her sister's hand.

"PUSH, Mrs King!" yelled the midwife. "The first baby's nearly here!"

"I'm so tired!" Rosalie cried.

"You're nearly there! Push, come on, push!"

"AAAHHH!"

"WAAAA! WAAAA!"

"It's a boy!" The doctor cried.

"Oh, Rosie!" Bella couldn't help but shed tear after tear. "He's so beautiful!"

The doctor cut the cord and handed the baby to the midwife, who cleaned him up a bit and placed him on Rosalie's chest.

"He is! My son, Bellsie, I have a son!" She stroked the top of the baby's head. He quieted instantly.

"Do you have a name yet, Mrs King?" asked the midwife as she took the baby away for his checks.

"I have a couple of ideas, but I'm going to wait until his sibling is born before deciding. Bellsie, any word from Royce?"

Bella checked both her mobile and Rosalie's.

"No, sorry, sis, he must still be en route from America."

"Is he bloody walking?!"

"I'm sure he'll be here soon." Bella tried to reassure her sister, as she brought a drink to her lips. "Come on, you need to try to recuperate before the second baby comes. I'm going to nip out to see Mum and Dad."

"OK."

Bella walked out of the delivery suite and into the waiting room.

"Bells, any word?" asked Charlie, anxiously.

"The first baby is here! You've got a grandson!"

Charlie's eyes misted up.

"A grandson, does he have a name yet?"

"Not yet."

"I wonder if she'll go with my suggestion."

"I doubt it." Renee scoffed. "'George' is so boring."

"It was my dad's name!" replied Charlie indignantly. "There's nothing wrong with it. It's a good, solid name."

"For an old man who plays golf and owns a narrow boat... oh wait, that's you!" retorted Renee.

Bella sighed.

Over the past year or so, her parents had been bickering, squabbling and occasionally, out-and-out fighting. Whenever she returned home from Durham, the atmosphere in Riverview Place was arctic. Charlie was sleeping in the spare room at Renee's insistence. She said it was because he was snoring, but it had never bothered her before, not in twenty-eight years of marriage. Charlie was spending more and more time at work, and Renee was spending more and more evenings and weekends with her friends instead of at home. Whilst Charlie still tried to show affection and warmth towards his wife, Renee seemed to take every opportunity to put him down.

"Look, I've got to get back to Rosalie. I just thought I'd update you. Do you think you could keep trying to contact Royce? He should be here by now."

"Will do, my little lamb."

"Why do you still call her that? She's twenty-three years old, for God's sake!"

"What's wrong with calling my daughter a pet-name? She doesn't object..."

Bella left her parents to their fighting and returned to the delivery suite, where Rosalie was ready to deliver again.

"OWW! BLOODY FUCK!"

"It's OK, I'm here, I'm here!"

"Thanks, but where the fuck is my HUSBAND?"

"Mrs King, your second baby is crowning. On the next push, you need to bear down with all your might," explained the doctor.

"Duh! I do remember how to do it. It's only been ten minutes since I did it the first time!" she cried.

"He's just doing his job, Rosie." Bella wiped her sister's brow and kissed her temple. "And you're doing so well."

"Oh... OWW... OWWW!"

"Push, Rosalie!"

"The head's out. One more push and baby two will be here."

"I hope it's a girl," commented Bella, more to keep her sister's spirits up while they waited for the next contraction.

"Me too," sighed Rosalie. "Then I'd have one of each, and I won't have to go through this shit again!"

"You'd stop at two? I thought you wanted a big family."

"I did want at least four, but I'm having a rethink!" Rosalie smiled. "I don't know. Ask me again in a couple of years; when I've forgotten just how painful this is ... oh, it's starting again! OWWW!"

"Push, Rosie! Push!"

"Keep going, Mrs King, we're nearly there!"

""AAAHHH!"

"WAAAA! WAAAA!"

Just like the first time, the sound of a baby's cry was like music to the ears of all in the room.

"It's a girl!" cried the doctor.

Once the babies had been double-checked by the duty paediatrician, since they were four weeks early, they were then cleaned up and fed for the first time. Charlie and Renee came in when both babies were asleep in Rosalie's arms.

"Oh, tiger, I can't believe it, they're so precious!" gushed Charlie.

"Well done, Rosalie," echoed Renee, checking her phone. "What are you going to call them, or are you going to wait until Royce is here before deciding?"

"Well, since he didn't manage to get here for the birth, despite me being in labour for thirty-six hours, I think I'll name them whatever _I_ want."

"Now, Rosalie, don't make any rash decisions whilst you're hormonal. I'm sure Royce is working hard. He's putting that grand roof over your head, remember. Your father wasn't in the room when you and your sister were born, and I accepted that."

"No, but I was outside in the waiting room." Charlie replied.

Renee shrugged as if to say _'whatever_.'

"Well, I've decided, and Royce can like it or lump it."

"What are their names, Rosie?" asked Bella.

"This one," Rosalie began, picking up her son's tiny hand, "is George Matthew King." She kissed her son's cheek, relishing his clean, baby smell. She ignored her mother's eye roll. "And this one," she turned her attention to her daughter, "is Gemma, but I want Bella to choose her middle name. Bellsie, should she be Gemma Isabella, or Gemma Marie?"

"You want her to have one of my names as her middle name?" asked Bella, standing at the back of the room."

"Yes. Bella," Rosalie held her free hand out to Bella who stepped forward and took it, "I'd never have been able to do this without you. You've been with me every single step of my pregnancy ..." Rosalie started to cry. "... I don't deserve a sister as wonderful as you."

"Oh, Rosie," Bella started crying too. "I love you so much. You're my big sis and I'll always be there for you!"

"And me for you, I promise! So, what's it going to be?"

Bella thought for a moment.

"Gemma Marie. It flows better and it would mean the twins have the same initials."

"Gemma Marie King. I love it!" Rosalie exclaimed. "And Bella, I love you so much."

-cc-

**_"Royce, it's Charlie. Again. Where are you? I thought you were only going away for a few days! It's been a week! We still need to meet about my investment but there's now a more pressing issue at hand. Your babies have decided to show up early. Rosalie's in labour. Please call me as soon as you get this."_**

**_"Hi Royce, um, it's Bella. Rosalie asked me to call. She's in active labour now. We're at the hospital. Please come home as soon as you can."_**

**_"ROYCE ADAM KING, WHERE THE BLOODY FUCK ARE YOU? YOUR BABIES ARE TEARING MY HOO-HA APART! GET THE FUCK ON A PLANE AND COME HOME! AAAHHH..."_**

Jacob cringed as he heard Rosalie screaming, in the last of Royce's voicemails. _Damn, we shouldn't have had those last lines of coke._

"Royce! It's me! Wake up dude!" He banged on the door of his own spare room. "Fuck it, I'm coming in!" Jacob barged in to see Royce sprawled across the bed, a lithe, tall blonde asleep half on top of him. They were both naked.

"Whass wrong?" Royce slurred.

"Dude! Rosalie's in labour. Your phone's been going crazy."

"Shit." His head hit the pillow again. "Hey, did the broker come through yet?"

"She's left me a voicemail asking us to call her back. What about Rosalie?"

"Bella's her birthing partner. She's had a healthy pregnancy, she'll be fine. I'll clean up and get back there later. Let's go find out what's happening with our investment," he replied, sliding out of bed and slipping on jeans and a shirt. The strung-out blonde turned over but remained asleep.

"What about her?"

"Leave her there. I might shag her again later, if I feel like it. I reckon she'll be out for another couple of hours."

"Told you that GHB works better than Roofies."

"Totally, man."

The two men headed downstairs, each grabbing a beer and picked up the phone to ring their investment broker, Heidi.

"Hey, Heidi, what have you got for us?"

_"There's good news and there's bad news, guys. Your £10K investment in the United Arab Emirates United Construction Conglomerate has come back with a return of 66%."_

"Sweet!" cried Jacob. "What's the bad news? The shares?"

_"I'm afraid so. The value of the shares you bought in that farming cooperative have been affected by changes to European Union farming subsidy laws. Your thirty thousand pounds, I'm afraid, is now worth only five."_

"Fucking piece of shit!" cried Royce. "Heidi, what the hell, what am I gonna tell my father-in-law?"

_"Sorry, guys. I can take the money left and try to re-invest, but I don't think you're going to be able to recoup that loss."_

"What if we took some more capital and invested it in the construction conglomerate?"

_"That investment is currently bringing about very, juicy returns, but because of that, it's now only open to serious investors."_

"Bottom line?" asked Royce.

_"The minimum investment they'll accept is a quarter of a million pounds. And the deadline is two weeks_," Heidi replied, her tone indicating that she thought it was the end of the line for Royce and Jacob's investments through her.

"Well, thanks, Heidi..." Jacob began.

"Wait! You said, two weeks?"

_"Yes...?"_

"We'll get back to you, Heidi. Thanks." Royce promptly hung up.

"Dude, we don't have that kind of cash!"

"No, but Charlie does, and so do my other clients."

"But none of them are ever going to agree to that! Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds?"

"Ah, but you forget, I'm their financial advisor. I'll start with Charlie. I'll tell him that I invested some of his thirty thousand in the conglomerate. If I show him the investment return, he'll agree to another one."

"But that much?"

"No, he's pretty conservative. He won't agree to more than £50K, I bet. But I'll play around with the accounts a bit, get all the cash we need and invest. When we get the return, I'll put back the £250K, keeping my score of course, and give Charlie his £50K back with the associated profit."

"So, you'll actually be taking £300K from Charlie to start with?"

"Yep, and if it's successful, we can try it again with my other clients' cash, maybe even do a second round of investments. I might need to borrow one of your accounts to help shift things around, all right?"

"No problem man, as long as you make me money." Royce's phone began to ring again. It was Charlie. "You'd better get home. Do they think you're in America again?"

"Yeah, if I told them I was here in Jersey, they'd expect me back within six hours!"

-cc-

April 2005

Rosalie saw her life as near perfect. She had a beautiful, modern, five bedroom detached house overlooking the rolling fields of South Warwickshire, on the edge of Stratford-upon-Avon. She wanted for nothing. She had a nanny to help out when she needed a break from motherhood, although George and Gemma were such good babies. She was financially comfortable and had a husband, who, although he worked long hours and often had to go abroad, loved her and their kids.

The only things that tinged her life with darkness were her sister's ongoing introversion and battles with depression, and her deteriorating relationship with Renee, her mother, who seemed to hate being reminded that she was a grandmother. Every time Rosalie called her, she made excuse after excuse for being unable to spend time with the babies. Every time Rosalie brought them to Riverview Place, it was Charlie who played with them and took photos. It was evident that the relationship between Charlie and Renee had deteriorated further, and Renee seemed to go out of her way to avoid him. But when circumstances forced them to spend time together, she constantly berated him and made snide comments.

Meanwhile, Bella seemed to exist only to study, to write and to see the babies. She came down from Durham every other weekend. She was a devoted aunt, and love exuded from her every time she was with the twins. Bella too, seemed to pick up on the tension between her parents and spent as much time as possible with Rosalie and the babies when she was home.

In early April, Bella came home for the weekend, which was a surprise as she had come home for Easter, the weekend before.

"Hey Bellsie, this is a surprise! I thought you weren't coming back until next weekend!" cried Rosie as she opened her front door, cradling a sleeping Gemma against her.

"I know, but I had some really good news, and I couldn't wait to share!" Bella followed her sister into the kitchen- diner, and Rosalie put Gemma down next to George in their basket.

"Oh, pray tell."

"I got into the creative writing program at St Andrews and I start in September!"

"Oh, Bella, really? I'm so proud of you!" Rosalie swept her sister into a big hug. Bella looked happier than she had in a very long time.

"Yeah, you don't think that Mum and Dad will be upset with me for wanting to ditch journalism and move to Scotland for a year?"

"Bells, you're twenty-three now. If this is what's going to make you happy, do it. God knows you've been downbeat long enough. Besides, Mum and Dad are so embroiled in their own shit, Mum especially, that you could probably tell them you'd become a pole dancer and they wouldn't hear it."

"Things still bad?"

"Dad is practically living in the office, coming back late at night. Sometimes he stays on the boat instead of coming home. And don't even get me started on Mum. I asked her to watch the twins while I went to the dentist for my check-up because Nanny Becky was off, and, God, you'd have thought I'd asked her to donate her liver or something from the reaction. 'I can't believe you'd ask me such a thing! It's such an imposition! Nobody helped me out when I had you and your sister ...' blah blah blah!"

"Sorry Rosie. You know that if I was here I'd help," Bella replied before changing the subject. "Where's Royce today?"

"He said something about a client emergency in Birmingham and took off first thing this morning," huffed Rosalie. "Say, it's a lovely day, Bellsie. Why don't we get the twins into the pram and go for a walk?"

"Sure."

A walk inevitably turned into shopping in Stratford's compact but busy town centre. The beautiful, dry spring day, something of a rarity in April, had brought out the tourists and the day-trippers, but Bella and Rosalie didn't mind.

"Look at this sailor suit, Bellsie, isn't it the cutest?"

"Jesus, Rosie, it's forty pounds! He's a baby! He'll grow out of it in six months!"

"So? I'll just keep it for the next baby, or for your babies!"

"I wouldn't hold your breath on that last one," Bella muttered under her breath. Since breaking up with Jacob she had been out with a couple of Charlie's friends' sons at Renee's insistence, but it had been fruitless. Her heart belonged to Edward, and he was the only man she would ever contemplate having a child with.

"What?"

"Nothing. What about this dress for Gemma?" Bella held up a lilac taffeta dress with a bow.

"Oh, yes, I love it!"

They picked up a few more baby items, and then went to the cashier to pay.

"That will be one hundred and forty-three pounds and fifty-six pence please." Rosalie pulled out one of her numerous cards and handed it to the cashier.

"So Bells, where do you want to go for lunch? We should celebrate. What about Russell's?"

"No, they have that huge lobster tank. All those poor creatures just waiting to die; it totally creeps me ..."

"Excuse me, Mrs King?"

"Yes?"

"The card company want to speak to you."

"What? Why?"

"Something about security." The assistant handed her a phone.

_"Hello, Mrs King?"_

"Yes?"

_"Sorry, but there's been some unusual activity on this account, and I just wanted to check some security questions."_

"Okay." Rosalie went through the security check with the operator.

"_Thank you for that. No problems there."_

"So what kind of unusual activity has been going on?"

_"Well we were concerned because we have had a large withdrawal of funds today at London Heathrow Airport, about an hour ago."_

"There has to be some mistake. My husband is the only other person with access to this account and he went off to Birmingham to see a client this morning. How big of a withdrawal?"

_"The maximum from a cash machine. £500."_

"How strange, please stop the card and I'll check with him to see whether he's lost his."

_"Thank you Mrs King. We'll let you know if there are any further attempts to access the accounts."_

Rosalie turned to Bella.

"How odd.

So, lunch? If you object to Russell's, how about ..." Rosalie's mobile phone started to ring. "Oh, it's Dad. Hi Dad?"

_"Rosalie, where are you, tiger?"_

"In town, shopping with Bella. What's up?"

_"Royce with you?"_

"No, he's seeing a client in Birmingham."

_"Right. Can you come over?"_

"Dad, what's wrong?"

_"Just come over, please?"_ Rosalie could tell by Charlie's voice that she was best off just doing what he asked without question.

"Okay, we walked in because of the sunshine, so we'll grab a taxi and be with you in twenty minutes." She hung up.

"What's going on?"

"Don't know, but I think it's serious."

Rosalie and Bella's mild concern peaked to real worry when they pulled into the driveway of Riverview Place to find two police cars and another three, unknown cars.

The sisters hurried inside with the twins, the pram and the shopping.

"Dad, what the hell is going on?" demanded Rosalie, as they made their way into the kitchen. Charlie was at the kitchen dining table with Billy, two uniformed police officers, his accountant Mark and another two men in suits who were plain clothes, police officers.

Rosalie and Bella sat down at the last, two chairs.

"Rosalie, have you seen Royce this morning?"

"Err ... not since I was up with the twins for their 6am feed. He left around then. He said he was going to Birmingham to see a client. I texted him around 9am but didn't get an answer. Why Dad?"

"Look, tiger, there's been some very unusual, rather concerning activity in the accounts of a few of Royce's clients. One of them called the police and they've been looking into the accounts of all Royce's clients, including ours."

"What kind of unusual activity?" Bella asked.

"Lots of monies being shifted around over the past, few months, and then gradually, being siphoned off. But then this month, a lot of it has just gone."

"How much money?" Rosalie asked. Charlie hesitated to answer. "Dad?"

"Nearly all of it," he whispered. "If we can't retrieve it, then it means all our savings, your trust funds and our pension fund are all gone."

"No, I mean, there has to be some kind of mistake! I know Royce can be a bit of a shit sometimes, but he'd never steal!"

"Rosie, what about the phone call at Baby Boutique?" queried Bella.

"That was just a misunderstanding. I'm sure the bank just got their wires crossed."

"Rosalie?"

"It was nothing. I mean, the bank just decided to run an extra security check because there had been a withdrawal of some cash from our account from Heathrow Airport, which must be a mistake, because Royce is in Birmingham."

One of the police officers started scribbling in his notebook.

"Can you recollect anything else odd over the past few weeks?"

"Not really. He's been away a lot. Since his father retired last year he's been running the business and has clients all over the country, and even a few in the US."

"Mrs King, Royce doesn't have any international clients. In fact he's lost most of his father's clients to other financial advisors," replied Mark.

"I don't understand." Rosalie slumped back in her chair.

"Rosalie, I hate to tell you this, but at the moment it looks like Royce has committed fraud and embezzlement, to the tune of around seven million pounds, including two million of your family's money. We're going to look into it. Mark and the accountants, the police, and of course I'm going to conduct an enquiry through the Crown Prosecution Service," explained Billy.

"We just hope that he's not fled the country, although the possible cash withdrawal at Heathrow is a worrying sign."

"I don't believe it! Why would he do this? We don't need millions; we have a perfectly nice life! What about our babies?"

"I don't know right now, tiger."

The front door slammed shut as Charlie was speaking.

"CHARLIE! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?" bellowed Renee, stomping along the hallway to the kitchen, laden with shopping bags from her trip to Birmingham.

"Renee, dear, please sit down." One of the uniformed officers stood up to offer her his seat.

"Please, Renee," echoed Billy when she hesitated.

"Fine," she huffed.

Charlie and Billy explained what had happened. Afterwards, Renee said nothing.

"Mum? Say something!" pleaded Rosalie after an excruciating silence.

"I need to be alone right now," she whispered eventually. "I'd like everyone to leave, please."

Both sets of police officers, as well as Billy and Mark got up, murmuring goodbyes.

"I mean everyone. Charlie, Bella, Rosalie. I want the house to myself for a couple of hours." Her tone was ice cold, and nobody argued with her.

Charlie returned to Rosalie's house with both his daughters and the twins. Bella set about making some supper, while Charlie watched the babies and Rosalie went upstairs to lie down as her head was throbbing.

"Motherfucking shitting BASTARD!" Rosalie cried, when she opened the wardrobe to change out of her denim skirt and into a pair of comfier leggings.

Royce's half of the wardrobe was mostly empty. She scrambled to check their small safe hidden at the back, and his passport and their emergency cash were both gone.

Charlie and Bella, hearing Rosalie scream, ran upstairs to see her on the floor of the wardrobe.

"He's gone! He's gone, it's true!"

Bella sat down next to her and held her as she sobbed.

-cc-

As Charlie drove back to Riverview Place a couple of hours later, all he wanted was to feel the comfort of his wife's arms around him as he came to terms with the day's revelations. Renee and Charlie had been together for over thirty-five years, having met at school, at The Warwickshire Academy, both the third generation of their families to have gone there. Renee came from a long line of well-regarded but impoverished academics, and she herself had a Classics degree. Charlie came from a long line of wealthy military officers, and he had served for three years before going to law school.

They had, at one time had a passionate relationship, but whilst Charlie still adored Renee as much as he did when they were young, it was clear that he didn't make her happy anymore, not for several years. Charlie couldn't identify why. He had tried to give her the things she said she wanted, and when he spent money on her, it seemed to work for a short time, but soon she returned to being dissatisfied. The only time she came home with a smile on her face was when she returned from her yoga weekends with her friends.

A familiar, red Land Rover Discovery was in the driveway when Charlie pulled in. It belonged to Philip Dwyer, the Sector Crown Prosecutor for Central Birmingham, who Charlie had worked with for ten years, ever since Philip joined the Crown Prosecution Service at age twenty-nine. Philip was widely recognised as Charlie's protégé, and nobody was surprised when he was promoted to Sector Crown Prosecutor three years earlier. Whilst Billy was Charlie's oldest friend, he considered Philip to be one of his closest, and his go-to guy for advice on his marital discord.

"Phil? What are you doing here?" Charlie asked, when Phil came out of the front door, carrying a large cardboard box.

"Charlie! Err…" he glanced behind him to Renee, who was dragging a suitcase behind her.

"Renee? What's going on?"

"Isn't it bloody obvious? I'm leaving!" she snapped. "Philly, take this please."

"Sorry Charlie," Philip mumbled as he took the luggage from her.

Charlie stood and watched as Phil loaded the box and the suitcase into the back of the Discovery, which was already full of Renee's things.

"I don't understand. Phil, why are you helping ...?" Charlie's voice tailed off as Renee came to stand next to Phil and draped her arms around him.

"We've been in love for a long time, Charlie. I stayed with you because it made financial sense, but that's been shot to shit now, hasn't it?"

"Renee, you don't mean it, you can't mean it! Our daughter's husband has just left her and the babies, and taken off with all our life savings. We need you!"

"Well tough shit. I have needs too, Charlie! I grew up with barely two pence to rub together and there is no way in hell I am going back to poverty!"

"I don't believe this!" Charlie turned to Philip. "And you! You're one of my best friends? All those times I came to you asking for your advice, and all the while, you were seducing my wife?!"

"Yeah, well, more fool you. I love her Charlie. I've come second for five years and now, she's mine! Quite frankly, I'm glad Royce stole your money!" retorted Philip.

"Philip has been offered a new job, haven't you, _darling?" _Charlie winced as she emphasised the 'darling.'

"I have indeed, to a large firm of defence lawyers in London. My resignation will be with you on Monday and I'm using up my annual leave during my notice period."

"What?"

"My lawyer will be in touch, Charles." Renee walked round to the front of the car.

"WAIT! What about Bella and Rosalie…? Walk away and you'll never see them again. You know they'll side with me."

"Yeah, I know. Stupid girls. They're both far too sentimental, Bella especially." Renee's tone was impassive, uncaring. "They get that from you."

"Get in the car, Renee, _darling."_

She slipped into the front passenger seat of the Discovery.

"Goodbye."

As soon as she closed the door, Philip put his foot to the accelerator and Charlie watched helplessly as they sped away.

-cc-

**AN: Thank you for reading. The next chapter will be on Sunday.**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your reviews last chapter. It was a difficult chapter to write, because it really was the Swans' lowest ebb. This chapter on the other hand, was easier. It's a long one, around 7500 words, so get comfy! I hope you enjoy it.**

**Supermassive thanks to my wonderful beta SunflowerFran3759 as always. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. Song lyrics in this chapter are borrowed from ****_Skinny Genes _****by Eliza Doolittle. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

**Chapter Twenty-One**

September 2012

Alice had booked in The Hunters to write six tracks with Bella over the course of one week, deliberately timing that week to coincide with Bella's birthday and Edward's return from Stockholm and Ibiza. She disliked Jacob Black intensely, and almost faltered in her plan as she saw Bella's horrified face when she realised that she would be spending the whole week with him, but persevered, for her instincts had never let her down before.

Bella was despairing. The last time she had seen or heard from Jacob, she couldn't get away from him fast enough, for he had left her with crawling skin, and a heart heavy with shame and guilt. She hoped that there would be a glimmer of the nice boy she had once seen inside him when they met this time. But as Jacob strutted into AJE's brainstorming room like a proud peacock, dressed in his designer suit and shiny shoes, Bella realised that the nice boy inside Jacob was long dead, and all that was left was an arrogant creep of the highest order.

"Bella Swan! It's been a long time, babe!" She stood up to greet him, but when he leaned in to hug and kiss her, she took a step back and offered him her hand to shake.

"Jacob. How are you?"

"Brilliant, and even better after seeing you! You look amazing!" He looked her up and down, causing Bella's stomach to lurch in disgust and her skin to crawl once again.

"Thanks."

"What a shame we've not been able to meet up before this. I think our dads were planning on a reunion dinner or something, but it didn't seem to happen."

"No, Charlie's been busy." Determined to keep things all business, Bella turned to the band. "Welcome to AJE Records and The Elizabeth Studios. I thought we could start with introductions and a tour of our facilities, and then head to the live studio to hear the material for which you'd like me to draw up lyrics."

Jacob didn't say anything more, but every time she glanced in his direction, he was watching her. She hated the way his eyes lingered on her chest or her eyes, as if he was mentally undressing her. When he became aware that she knew he was checking her out, he was unapologetic, and in fact, his replying grin told her wordlessly that he was remembering her naked body.

As the week progressed, Bella came to detest Jacob even more. She didn't much care for The Hunters either; she couldn't wait for her writing contract with them to be over. The group, as well as the lead singer and guitarist, James Hunter, seemed to go out of their way to be contradictory and difficult. The other band members, James's wife Victoria on second guitar and second vocals, Russian-Italian Irina Grazia on violin and keyboard, and the drummer, Frenchman Laurent Denier, backed James up in whatever he said or demanded.

Jacob started to become overly attentive towards Bella. He appeared keen to rekindle a relationship with her and tried to bestow his attention upon her constantly. She tolerated him only because she had promised Charlie and Rosalie that she would keep up appearances whilst the Fraud team investigated.

However, the possibilities that he might have had a role in her father's financial troubles, plus the nagging feeling she had after Jessica mentioned him buying her a drink at the showcase (even though she couldn't remember it later) both weighed heavy on her mind. As a result, she was struggling to pretend to be friendly and welcoming, not being one to easily disguise her feelings, despite her shyness.

The week was made worse by the arrival of her period (although she knew it was coming as she used the oral contraceptive pill to regulate them, and had done for years), and to top it all off, on the Thursday came her birthday, an event she always hated.

"I don't get it," whined James.

"What don't you get, James?"

"These lyrics don't make sense."

Bella glanced down at the page of words she'd toiled over, working hard to make them fit the music that James had written and insisted on using. Unlike Edward's complex, multi-layered, rhythm-driven pieces, James's music, in keeping with the folk style, was very simple and quite uplifting (which Bella considered ironic, because the whole group always seemed to be down about something or another). Therefore Bella wrote light, heartfelt, but clever and sassy lyrics to match. She had completed four tracks so far, and was contracted to write another two. The current track she was working on was one where Victoria was taking on lead vocals.

_I really don't like your point of view_  
_I know you'll never change_  
_Stingin' me with your attitude_  
_I've got the mind to walk away_

_I really don't like your arrogance_  
_Or your policies_  
_You're ninety-nine percent an embarrassment_  
_With just one quality_

_[Chorus:]_  
_I don't mind it when you [whistles]_  
_Brings out the best in me when you [whistles]_  
_Show your expertise_  
_When the night always ends with a fight_  
_I'm excited that you wind up next to me_

_I like it when you [whistles]_  
_Can I have some please of that [whistles]_  
_Satisfy my needs_  
_Sometimes I fake that I hate you and make up_  
_So you wind up next to me_

"I don't get the whistling thing," Victoria complained.

"The song's about being sexually attracted to someone ..." explained Bella, not missing the way Jacob's eyebrows waggled suggestively when she said the words. _I don't mean you, jackass._ "... Who annoys you. But rather than actually using words to describe sex, whistling the last few notes of the line replaces them so it's not explicit, and keeps the song quite light." She was proud what she'd come up with.

"I just don't think we'd be taken seriously with whistles in our music," muttered James.

"Look, this is the story your music invoked in me, and I'm happy with it. The bridge you wrote is quite catchy, and I think that with the whistle as a hook, you'd have masses of radio airplay," she defended, a reflection of her new-found, self-confidence.

"We shouldn't need tricks and hooks like this to get radio airplay!" James retorted. "Jacob!"

"Why don't you play it out, and do a test recording?" suggested Jacob from across the table. James glared at him. "James, give it a go."

James huffed but eventually agreed, and the band all took their places. Bella stretched in her seat to release the tension in her shoulders, and as she did, Jacob moved into the vacant seat next to her.

"Sorry about James. He takes things very seriously. He's been trying to break into the business for years."

"It's fine," she shrugged.

"So, what are you up to later? Why don't you finally let me take you out?"

"I'm sorry, Jacob, I have plans," she replied vaguely.

"Maybe tomorrow then ..."

Just then the band started the intro, and interrupted Jacob's attempt at conversation. As the music started and Victoria started singing, Bella knew that she was right about trusting her own instincts about the words. The chorus was instantly memorable, and she found herself whistling along during the chorus. She glanced at Jacob who was tapping his feet.

When the song ended, Bella and Jacob stood up and clapped.

"Guys that was ace, it should be a single, maybe the first single!" Jacob looked at James who still didn't look happy. "Seriously, James, you didn't like it?"

"It's better than I thought it would be, but I don't know. Maybe we should try it with me singing rather than Vic." James glanced at his wife, who had seemed exhilarated by performing the track, but her expression withered under his scrutiny.

"It's designed for a female voice," explained Bella. _I know what the real issue is! You don't want your wife to be seen as the lead singer, even though she's the better vocalist._ "That was the brief you gave me."

"I agree, James," added Jacob. "It's ace. Well done, Bells." He grinned at her. Bella felt nothing but a hint of contempt. _I need a break._

"Let's stop for lunch and regroup in thirty minutes," she suggested before getting up and leaving.

Returning to the sanctity of her office with a cup of mint tea and a hummus and crunchy salad pitta sandwich for her lunch, she checked her emails. There were a few from friends and family wishing her a happy birthday. She was grateful that nobody at work knew, apart from Rosalie, so there could be no fuss. She idly wondered if Edward would remember.

As she was making her way back to the live studio, Alice accosted her in the corridor.

"Hey! How's it going?"

Bella glanced around to see if anyone was nearby.

"I can't wait for this job to be over!"

"Still tough, huh?"

"Yep."

"Look, my little sister Cyndy just sent me a huge collection of sweets from the US including some good, old fashioned brownies. Why don't you come over to our place later, when you're done?"

"I don't know, Alice. I'm really tired today."

"Come on, please! They're so delicious, but if I eat them all I'll gain ten pounds! I need to spread the sugar!"

"OK, just for a while."

"Sure." Alice stood on her tiptoes and kissed Bella on the cheek, her fingers crossed behind her back.

-cc-

Edward usually enjoyed Ibiza. He would be up all night, DJ-ing, clubbing, networking and occasionally, finding a blonde and taking her to bed. However, he found he could no longer derive the same kind of pleasure from it. This time, by the end of two weeks there, and his three weeks away from England, he was desperate to leave. Whilst he still loved DJ-ing and the atmosphere of the clubs on the island, he found that he didn't want to stay up all night with the hangers-on anymore, and he couldn't even look at any of the girls who threw themselves at him.

His head and his heart were full of Bella.

Even though there was much he didn't know about what had gone wrong the first time, he felt her sincerity when she told him that she never wanted to hurt him and that she had missed him. He woke up every morning having dreamt of her, the way she looked, the way she smelled, the way she felt in his arms, not to mention the way it felt being inside her during their frenzied, heated coupling in his Chelsea kitchen. Jasper was right. The time away had helped him make a decision. He definitely wanted Bella back.

He returned home intending to find out why she left him, to make damn sure she came back to him and never left again.

Mike was waiting for him in the arrivals hall.

"Hi, how was your trip?"

"Good, although I'm glad to be back. How are you?"

"Err... fine thanks."

"And how's everyone else?"

"Fine, good."

"Jessica? Is she back at work?"

Mike hesitated in his answer.

"Yes. Sort of..."

"What's going on, Mike?"

"Jessica's really unhappy at AJE. She's going to talk to you all about quitting."

Edward first feeling was one of relief. He was embarrassed at the way he had flirted with Jessica, the way he had used her to hurt Bella. Now that he was sure of his feelings, it would be easier to not see Jessica so often whilst he was trying to re-establish his relationship with the love of his life, given everyone's misguided assumptions. However, despite Jessica's ditsy tendencies and the fact that she was easily distractible and overly obsessed with fame and celebrity rather than the music, she was, at times, a good intern. She picked up the basics of production quickly, and her opinions on artists were valid and based on good judgement.

"Right ..." Edward looked at his assistant, who looked forlorn. "Mike, are you all right?"

"What? Yeah ... it's a shame."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"I'm going to miss her, OK?" Mike snapped back.

"I know you fancied her, Edward, but she's more than just her blonde bombshell image. Whilst you were away and I was in London, I saw her a lot, and we've become really close, and I've begged her not to quit, but she says that the job wasn't what she was expecting and that she doesn't want to do it anymore and ..."

"Jesus Christ, Mike, breathe!" Edward cried. Mike stopped and turned to face him. "You really like her, don't you?"

"Edward, I more than like her; I'm crazy about her."

"Does she like you back?"

"Yes," he whispered. "We're more than friends, although we haven't labelled it, yet."

"Well good for you, the both of you!"

Mike looked back at Edward, surprised.

"What, really?"

"Yeah, I flirted a bit with Jessica but that was all. She's fun, but we aren't suited. She's too young for me."

"True!" They both laughed. Inside Edward felt a huge weight off his chest. _Jessica's with Mike now. Nobody's going to think I'm a shit if I now pursue Bella. _

He decided to change the subject.

"So, how have things been whilst I've been away?"

"All right, I wrapped up those loose ends in London whilst you were in Stockholm, and sorted out the new equipment you wanted."

"Great. Did you have your week off like I told you to?"

"Yes. I spent almost all of it seeing Jessica."

"Good, I'm glad you took time off as well. You needed it. So what's been happening at the studios? What's this about some group called The Hunters?" Alice had mentioned them in an email but not gone into any details, which was odd for her.

"Oh, them ..." Mike's tone indicated that he was not a fan. "They're a four piece, urban folk-pop band, not really AJE's sound. They've been signed to Prince Records but needed more tracks for their first album. Their manager was at the showcase and decided to hire Bella to write lyrics for their music. She told them that she could work remotely, but their manager's insisted that they work face to face with her, so they've been hanging around using the live studio to test the tracks out."

"How does Bella feel about it?"

"I'm not sure. I've barely seen or spoken to her since I came back from my holiday," Mike replied. "The Hunters and their manager have kept her really busy, she's also been writing library tracks with the music you left behind for her, plus her family life is really hectic."

"Right." _I hope she'll give me the time of day then._

"Speaking of Bella, it's her birthday today." Edward smiled inwardly, thinking of the simple, but pretty, blue, glass bead necklace he'd bought her in Ibiza. "Alice is throwing her a surprise party this evening at her cottage."

"Really? Bella's not going to like that. She hates surprises."

"Yeah, I said that, but Alice wasn't taking no for an answer."

-cc-

After finally wrapping up _Wind Up (Next to Me), _as the track with Victoria's vocals was provisionally called, Bella worked with the band until around 5.30pm on the next one, until James decided to call it a day, half an hour early. The next day, Friday, was the last day the band could spend at The Elizabeth Studios, and they were heading back to Jersey for the weekend.

"See you later, Bella," Jacob called as he followed the band out of the door.

Bella had expected Jacob to ask her out yet again, for he had done so every morning and every evening for the past few days, but this time he didn't. Hopeful that he had finally got the message, she retreated to her office to finish off a song for Riley-B before heading to Alice's.

"You all right, darlin'?" Jasper appeared at her door about twenty minutes later.

"Oh, yes, thank you. And you?"

"Really good. Now, my crazy wife has asked me to escort you to our place for brownies. You ready to go?"

"Sure." Bella turned off her monitor and picked up her handbag. They headed out across the courtyard to the cottages.

"Thanks for coming over. Alice is real happy about it. I know she's hard to say no to."

"She is, but I don't mind. She's a good friend."

"I know she thinks the same of you and Rosalie."

"I'm glad." Jasper gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze as they approached the cottage door.

As they entered, the cottage seemed to be deserted.

"Alice?" called out Bella.

"Baby?"

Suddenly, the lights went on, there was the sound of cheering and party poppers being popped.

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY BELLA!"

Bella blinked and took a step back in surprise. From Alice and Jasper's front room emerged Alice, Rosalie and the twins, Esme, Eric, Austin, the production team and several other AJE staff, and lastly, Jacob.

Her first instinct was to run. She even turned around, but Jasper caught her.

"I know you're not one for a fuss, darlin', but this is how Alice shows people she loves them," murmured Jasper. "It's only for an hour or two. Rosalie made sure o' that."

Bella nodded and reluctantly turned round, self-conscious of her red face.

"Bella!" Alice came bounding over and hugged her tightly. "I couldn't let your birthday slip past with no celebration!"

"How did you find out?"

"It's in your employee file!"

"Well, this is your lot for at least ten years, so I hope you enjoyed it!" she joked back, although inside she was mortified. Bella turned to Rosalie and the twins. "Rosie ... _et tu?"_

"Sorry, but we never celebrate your birthday like this! You'd have let it slide again if I didn't agree."

"Auntie Bella, Auntie Bella, we helped Esme make your cake!" cried George.

"I put the sprinkles on!" added Gemma, hugging her side.

"How thoughtful of you to help Esme!" Bella kissed the tops of the twins' heads and smiled as Esme approached. Not long before heading to London, Bella had introduced Esme to Rosalie and the twins, and she had become their new favourite person. She had quickly bonded with Rosalie and she adored the twins, offering, sometimes begging, to babysit.

"Hey, Bella, Happy birthday," Esme kissed her cheek. "I hope you don't mind too much. We did try to rein Alice in, if that's even possible!"

"Of course not," Bella replied politely. "Now I know what you get up to when you babysit the twins!" She glanced at Esme's bump. She was twenty-six weeks pregnant and getting bigger and bigger every day. "How are you? Keeping well, you and Bump?"

"Yes! Thank you!"

There was a tap on her shoulder.

"Happy birthday, Bellsie!" cried Jessica, hugging her cousin.

"Thanks Jess. How are you? I've hardly seen you since you came back to work."

"I'm good thanks. I've been taking things easy, spending time in the financial office with Jasper and Austin, or helping with the production team's admin, rather than gallivanting all over the place with the marketing team."

"You know you're welcome to sit in with me when I'm working with The Hunters."

"Yeah, thanks but ..." Jessica glanced around the room before dropping her voice to a whisper, "I can't help but look at Jacob and wonder about my _incident_. Whenever I see his face, it makes the flashbacks worse."

"Oh Jessie!" Bella grasped Jessica's hand. "But you don't know for definite that he spiked your drink, right? I only found out this week that he was there that night."

"No, I don't. I still can't remember for sure. It's still all fuzzy." Jessica took a gulp of her drink and Bella noted with interest that it was sparkling water instead of champagne. "Why did you break up with him? I was a kid back then so nobody really told me."

"To be honest, I never really felt that comfortable with him. And then after my dad's birthday party ..."

"Oh, I remember that party. One minute you were sitting in a corner, the next you were dancing in the living room with him giggling really loudly, and then he kissed you and you let him. A lot. Then, when everyone was leaving, you fell asleep and he carried you to bed."

"Really? Nobody ever told me that. I have absolutely no memory of it."

A sick, churning feeling rumbled through her and she felt herself tremble. _He gave me a blue drink which tasted funny. Wouldn't tell me what was in it. I behaved completely out of character. The next day I felt so bad I could hardly breathe and thought I was going to die. Exactly what the leaflets and the doctors said about GHB. Fuck, did he spike me too? But it doesn't make sense. Why?_

"Like I have no memory of what happened to me?" Jessica replied in a small voice.

Bella nodded. Jessica was silent for a moment.

"You know how I said that I didn't want the police to look into the CCTV from the showcase?"

"Yeah?"

"I think I changed my mind."

"OK, before we do anything, we should talk to my dad about how to go about things." Bella glanced over at Jacob who was talking to Austin and Eric, both of whom looked bored.

"OK." Jessica held Bella's hand for a moment. "Bella?"

"Jess?"

"I don't think coming back to AJE Records was the right thing for me. I look around and I see the dedication and the passion and the commitment all these guys have, and I don't feel it. I enjoy music, but I don't care about it in the same way. I'm going to ask to meet with Edward, Alice and Jasper next week."

Bella turned back to her cousin and paused to absorb her words.

"You're going to quit? What would you do instead?"

"Not sure. I've been thinking about learning about drug counselling and education. I talked to Jasper about his experiences in the past, you know, why he's a 'teetotaller' and stuff, and I think I might do some volunteering for a charity or something."

"Whatever you decide to do, you know that Rosalie and I will be there to support you, right?"

"Right!" Jessica kissed Bella on the cheek before turning her around. "I've hogged you long enough! Tia wants you!"

One by one everyone in the room came by to hug Bella and wish her happy birthday. A slightly lop-sided, vanilla birthday cake covered in blue and pink sprinkles was presented to her with candles that she duly blew out.

Finally she ended up in a corner of the living area of the cottage, where someone shoved another glass of champagne into her hand.

"Thank you," she said before looking up and cringing. It was Jacob. _Composure, Bella. You can face him. He's going to get what's coming to him._

"You're welcome. So this was what you meant when you said that you had plans," replied Jacob, inching closer.

"I guess ..." she tried to side-step him, but he placed a hand on the wall above her, blocking her in.

"You know, I've been back on the mainland for a month, and we've been here at the studios for nearly a week, but I've hardly been able to catch you. I don't remember you being so evasive. Have you been avoiding me, Bella, or am I being paranoid?"

"I've just been busy. I hold down a full time job here at AJE, help my sister look after her twins, and I'm still writing stories and poems, trying to get those published. I barely have time to see my family and close friends. My cousin Jessica works here and tonight's the first time I've spoken to her in a week."

She tried again to escape, looking past him to try to catch Rosalie's eye, but she had her back turned. Everyone else was engaged in conversation. Jacob leaned in further.

"I'm just talking about a quick coffee. Come on, we're old friends Bella. Surely you can spare half an hour?"

Bella forced herself to look at him._ If I don't keep him on side, I'll never find out the truth about what he did to me and Jessica. I can do this. I have to be strong right now. _

"Fine, tomorrow, at some point before you go?"

"Great!" Jacob kissed her on the cheek, perilously close to her mouth, but didn't move back immediately. Bella, sick of being trapped in, placed a hand on his chest and pushed lightly so that he took a step back. She then managed to slide out, and get away from him.

That was when she saw Edward, endearingly rumpled from travelling, but with a face like absolute thunder.

Edward's eyes darted between Bella and the buff, dark-haired giant dressed in a designer suit, trying to process his jealousy and his anger. _Who the hell is this dickhead all over Bella?_

"Edward, you're back!" Alice squealed suddenly, stepping between him, Bella and Jacob and hugging Edward tightly. She wanted to tell him to keep a lid on his obvious irritation, but then she'd have to admit that she had orchestrated the whole scenario in order to make him jealous and admit his feelings for Bella. "We missed you!"

"Yeah, so it seems," he replied with a hint of sarcasm.

"Welcome home, Edward," echoed Bella hesitantly.

"Anyone going to introduce me?" demanded Jacob arrogantly. "Hi, I'm Jacob Black. I'm an old _friend_ of Bella's. I manage The Hunters. We're developing tracks with her this week."

Nobody missed Jacob's stress on the word _friend,_ implying something more, least of all Edward.

"Edward Cullen."

"Ah, the famous Edward Cullen! I've heard a lot about your producing skills, man!"

"Right."

Edward was in no mood for insincere flattery. "Well, I'm exhausted, so I'm going to head back home. I just thought I'd stop by to wish you a happy birthday, Bella."

"Thank you," she murmured. Edward nodded at her and turned to leave.

Bella panicked. _I can't let him leave like this. I'm not letting him walk away without knowing that I desperately want him here._

"Excuse me a minute," she told the group before practically running after Edward, who was out of the front door and walking away down the short path that led to his cottage. "Edward! WAIT!"

He turned round.

"What, Bella?" he sighed.

"Please, stay ... you only just got here. Please, just for a little while?"

"No, I don't think I will," he huffed, crossing his arms over himself. "I'm not in the mood to be sociable. Besides, aren't you busy with _that _guy, Jacob, your old _friend?_"

Bella stepped closer to him.

"Does it really matter to you, who he is?"

Edward sighed and tugged at his hair.

"What if it did? What if I'm so fucking jealous, I can't see straight?"

"Are you?"

Edward looked at the ground. Bella gently tugged at the collar of his shirt so that he looked up again.

"Yes, I am," he eventually whispered. "I've thought about nothing but you while I've been away."

Bella's head started to throb. _He's jealous? _

_Really? _

Edward had left her utterly confused.

"What about Jessica?"

"What about her?" he asked. _Does she still think I care for Jessica? Even though she's with Mike?_

"Look, Jacob's just a friend, whatever he may think or imply. But our families do go way back. He and Prince Records are paying a huge sum for the tracks I'm working on with The Hunters. I can't alienate him." She saw his shoulders relax a little and took another step closer.

Edward looked up at her face, her creamy cheeks tinged with pink, and her brown eyes as big as saucers, glistening. Now that he was in a bad mood, he knew that he needed to bring himself out of it, and even though he was leaving her question unanswered, he decided to walk away.

"Oh, Bella, I just ..." he began. "I'm really tired, love."

Hearing him refer to her as 'love,' instantly calmed Bella's anxiety. _Maybe everything will be OK. _

"You just need some alone time tonight? Tomorrow ...?"

"Tomorrow, I'll be better. And we can talk, properly." He leaned across, took her hand and brought the back of it to his lips and then let go. "Go. Enjoy the rest of the party, OK?"

Bella nodded, surprised by his sudden small show of affection.

"Bella, is everything all right?" She turned round to see Jacob there. "Are you coming back?"

"In a sec," she replied, bristling. _Fuck off, sicko._

She turned back to Edward, but he had already disappeared into his cottage.

Bella headed back into Alice's cottage behind Jacob, where the twins got hold of her, thankfully distracting her from what had just happened with Edward and preventing Jacob from having any further alone time with her.

"Eww ... Auntie Bella, Auntie Bella, why is Jessie sucking that guy's face?" cried George after a few minutes. Bella whipped round to see Jessica standing in Mike's arms, kissing him enthusiastically.

"I missed you, like, so much all day!"

"I missed you too!"

"God, there's something really disturbing about seeing your cousin make out with a guy!" said Rosalie, handing Bella another glass of champagne. "I remember when we used to change her nappies!"

"How long has she been with Mike? What about Edward?"

"Bella, she's been with Mike at least since she returned to work. Despite the rumours, it seems like nothing ever happened between her and Edward."

Bella couldn't help the small smile that immediately graced her face, and Rosalie saw it.

"What if we just went back over and talked to Edward about what happened back then? Maybe he would ..."

"No! No way. I told you, Rosie. He needs to be amenable to that conversation, and he's definitely not in that place tonight."

"But if I just explained about ..."

"No!" Bella hissed.

"Auntie Bella, can we talk to American Alice? She's funny!" asked George, bored of talking about Cousin Jessie.

"And Esme?" asked Gemma.

"Let's go find them then, babies!"

Bella let Gemma and George drag her off to chat to Esme and Alice, leaving Rosalie alone, pondering. _Edward looked mad as hell when he saw Jacob talking to Bella. He still bloody loves her, but he's still angry with her. Whatever she may say, I need to fix this, now._

Emboldened by her second glass of champagne, she grabbed a paper plate full of birthday cake and slipped out of the door of the cottage.

-cc-

Edward, still stressed out, sat at his kitchen counter, picking miserably at his cheese and tomato sandwich. He kept seeing Bella's disappointed face as he declined to return to her surprise party. His instinct at the time told him that it was the right thing to do, because he was barely in control of his temper and his jealousy. He picked up his phone several times to text her, but something stopped him. He didn't want to contact her when he was still upset, and he loved her all the more for understanding that he needed some space. Instead, he found himself furiously scribbling on a pad of musical manuscript paper, channelling all his emotions into notes and beats on the page.

A knock on the door startled him. He kind of hoped it was Bella after all. He also hoped it wasn't. The knock came again.

"Edward? Please can you open the door," Rosalie's crisp voice asked. "It's Rosalie."

He was tempted to ignore it, but something made him get up and answer the door.

"Yeah?"

She thrust the paper plate at him.

"I brought you some cake. Please may I come in?"

"I'm really tired, Rosalie. Can it wait until tomorrow?"

"No. It really can't." The firm, sharp tone of her voice got to him.

"Just a few minutes."

"OK, fine." He let her in. "Drink?"

"No thanks." She took the seat at the kitchen counter that he had just vacated. He pushed the manuscript paper to one side and sat on the counter, cross-legged.

"So, what is it?"

Rosalie took a deep breath.

"Bella. I saw the way you looked at her tonight, and I _know_ how she feels about you. You still love her, don't you?"

"Rosalie, with all due respect, how I feel about Bella isn't any of your business. I mean, we aren't friends. You're my employee, whose sister happens to be my ex from years ago."

"I've lived with her heartbreak over your split for twelve years. I've stood by her request not to talk to you about her, but I can't do it anymore. Not when it's written on your face that you love her too, but are also angry with her. Not when I'm the one you should be angry with. That's why it's my business."

"What?"

Rosalie pulled at the cuffs of her cream, angora cardigan.

"I had seen you leaving the house one day a couple of weeks before your split. I asked her about you and she said you were a friend, but I knew different, just from the way she said your name. The day before you were supposed to go away, I found her bag and a letter and I freaked out. I told my parents, and when Bella got home that evening, they told her she couldn't go. We kept her passport so she didn't have a choice.

"It was the only time I've ever seen Bella come close to hysterical. She begged and she pleaded. In the end, she cried herself to sleep and Dad carried her to her room. We were going to let her calm down and then talk to her about it again in the morning, but when Dad and I went into her room the next morning, she was curled up on the floor sobbing, saying that you'd gone ..."

Edward felt white-hot fury rise up from the pit of his stomach.

"Why would you do that? WHY?" He got up and started pacing.

"I was so wrong! So unbelievably fucking wrong! Please let me explain ..."

Edward stopped in his track, trembling slightly.

"O-OK."

"You have to understand that we Swans weren't just raised by a mother and a father, but by a legacy of high achievement and societal standing. It sounds so ridiculous now. We don't live that way anymore and I most certainly don't raise my children that way, but at the time we were so concerned about how it would look if she ran off with you.

"I was average at school, and my family never had any academic expectations of me. As long as I married well, had children, and played the perfect, Warwickshire, society wife, I could do what I liked. But it was different for Bella, being the academic one. She was expected to get her English degree at Dad's alma mater, and then become a professional. A professor, a journalist, maybe even a lawyer like Dad. She was expected to become something that would maintain the impression that we were a high-achieving family. She knew this. That's why she never told us about you or your plans. She ..."

"So you put your family's reputation over your sister's happiness?"

"Yes, and I'm so ashamed! But ..."

"No, I can't hear anymore. Please leave."

"Edward, wait ..."

"NO! I'm this close to really losing it! JUST GO!"

Rosalie got up and went to the front door.

"I just wanted you to know that it wasn't her fault. It was mine, and I'm sorry."

She promptly left. Before she went back to the party, she texted Emmett.

**_Please text or call your brother later. We had words tonight over Bella. I'm sorry. R x_**

Good at maintaining her composure, she held onto her tears of guilt and shame until she was alone in bed, later that night.

Edward crawled into bed and screamed into a pillow before punching it until feathers popped out of the end. He was looking for something else to punch when he got a text from Emmett.

**_Hey bro! You back safe? Everything all right? _**

Edward decided to call Emmett then and there.

_"Edward! You all right, how was Ibiza?"_

"Em, I need you Big Bro." Edward's voice was shaky.

_"Order me some pizza, Baby Bro. I'm coming over."_

Sure enough, Emmett turned up forty minutes later, just as the pizza man was leaving. Edward handed him a beer and the pizza and the two settled on the stools around Edward's kitchen breakfast bar.

"Cheers for the pizza. Want some?"

"No, it's got pepperoni on it."

"Right, so spill."

Edward did just that.

"OK, so when Bella first started working here, I could barely speak to her. I was so angry, you know? I was civil to her, but barely, and I spent all this time with her cousin Jessica, our intern, flirting with her and stuff ..."

"Yeah, I heard about that."

"You did, from whom?"

"Oh, um ..." _Rosalie. "_Alice mentioned it once or twice."

"Right. Alice and Jasper were really pissed about it, and rightly so. I didn't let it get any further than flirting, but it was still a shitty thing to do."

"Jessica got sick in London, didn't she? Bad trip and too much booze?"

"Yeah, God, Em, it was so fucking scary. One minute she was gleefully trying to shimmy up a fucking lamppost, and the next, she was on the ground, barely conscious, hardly able to breathe. And whilst the rest of us stood around like idiots, Bella, she was amazing. She coordinated everything like a pro, and she did it so gracefully."

"So now you're seeing her differently?"

"I am. Emmett, it reminded me how good, kind, warm-hearted and sensible she is. That she's the same girl I knew twelve years ago. I'm so confused. She hurt me so badly when she walked away from me just at the point when we were about to start our lives together. But at the same time ..."

"At the same time ... what?"

"I love her, Em. I am still so fucking in love with Bella Swan, and it kills me."

"Has she told you what happened? What changed her mind?" Emmett asked.

"I was hoping to talk about it tonight, properly, face-to-face, when I got back. But then Alice had to go throw her a fucking surprise birthday party. Then this douchebag family friend of hers, Jacob something, was there, pawing at her and hitting on her, and I stomped off in a huff. She begged me to stay and she asked about me and Jessica as well, but I just couldn't talk to her because I was barely holding onto my temper."

"Do you think that she still has feelings for you? That she still wants you?"

"Yeah, she pleaded with me to stay tonight. And the night of Jessica's accident, we kind of reconnected." As Edward said it, he looked away from his brother and pulled at his hair. Emmett picked up on it instantly.

"Reconnected? Edward, does that mean what I think it means?"

"If you think that it means that we both acknowledged that we missed each other, before suddenly being unable to stop ourselves screwing against the kitchen counter, then uh, that's what it means."

"Fucking hell, really?"

"Yep, and it was mind-blowing; it was the best ever."

"But you're still hesitant?"

"I don't know. My head's so messed up. I was just going to talk to her tomorrow, but then her sister came to see me. She told me that she and her parents found out about our plans and kept her away from me. Some fucking BS about family reputation, but that they're not like that anymore and that Bella never stopped loving me. But now I don't know."

"Does she _really_ love me like I love her? She didn't stand up to them. She still broke up with me. She left me, Em. Am I crazy to still want her so much? To still love her so much, when she could doubt us after just one conversation with her family?"

"That day, you know, when you were supposed to go away together, what did Bella say, exactly?"

"Oh, no, Emmett, I can't relive it!"

"You always say that when I ask, but please, man. It's important." Edward didn't say anything. "Did she say, 'Edward, I want to break up?"

"Well not exactly."

"What exactly, then?"

"She questioned whether it was too soon. She said that she was worried about leaving her family and whether things might go wrong if we went away."

"So she never said she didn't love you, or that she wanted to split up."

"Well no, but that was what she was implying! Her family thought I wasn't good enough, and so did she! And they were right! I'll never be good enough."

"Then what happened?"

"Well then, I told her to 'have a nice life' and I hung up."

Emmett looked at his brother in shock.

"Twelve years ..." he began through gritted teeth, "... twelve fucking years of misery because you took her doubt and imposed on it your insecurities, and told her to 'have a nice life?'"

"What?"

"Listen to what you just said. She was upset after her family had a go at her. She said that she was worried about leaving them, and about the trip, but you were the one who actually ended things!"

Edward stopped to think about Emmett's perspective.

"No, she didn't want me ..."

"Why do you persist in believing that? She loved you, man. She did! Her sister told you she did, and now I'm telling you too. I'm sure she loved you."

"What the fuck do you know, Em? How are you so sure? You weren't there."

Emmett put down his pizza. _Shit. I've got to come clean now. I should have done it years ago. _

"OK, now please don't kill me over this."

"Over what?" Edward replied warily.

"I didn't get it at the time. I was stupid, and all I could think was that she had hurt my little bro and that you were better off not knowing ..."

"What, Em?"

"On September 11th, Bella came to see me. She was a mess, Edward, a shell of herself. She'd seen you on the TV as the second plane hit, and she demanded to know if I'd heard from you. When I told her you'd left a voicemail saying that you were all right, she was so fucking relieved she started crying all over again." Emmett went on to describe what he could remember of the conversation.

_"Anyone would think you still loved him ..." _

_"What? Of course I still love him! I never stopped!"_

_"Funny way of showing it, you ... you fucking well broke his heart! He cried all the way to the airport!"_

_"I never broke up with him! I just couldn't go away with him!"_

_"Why not?"_

_"I ... Look, I can't talk about it. It still hurts too much. I just had to make sure he was OK. I'd better go."_

_"Bella ..."_

_"I really need to go. I wasn't supposed to go out. Please, if you can, please tell him that I love him and that I'm sorry. I'll always be sorry."_

Edward was silent at first, trying to process what he had just heard. _She came to see Emmett, late at night, because she was that worried about me. _

_She told him that she loved me. _

_She was full of regret, and relief when she found out I was fine. _

"You should have told me," Edward murmured. He looked up. "Why the fuck didn't you tell me?!"

"I thought I was doing the right thing! When you said she'd broken up with you, that's what I thought had happened. I saw her as the bitch that broke your heart! I didn't realise that it was actually _you_ who had completely misconstrued her perfectly acceptable fears, all because of your own fucking inferiority complex!"

"You're my brother, not my father, Em! What gave you the right to hold something like that back from me? Even though it would have hurt, I had the right to fucking hear it! FUCK!"

"I know! And I am so unbelievably sorry! But would it have changed anything? Would you have come running back from your new life in America?"

Edward thought about his brother's question.

"In a heartbeat. I'd have been on the first plane home to take her back with me to New York." He stood up. "I think you should go now."

"Edward..."

"Get. Out."

Emmett sighed, picked up his jacket and headed for the door whilst Edward sat back down and placed his head in his hands.

_Oh, Bella. It seems like we were perfect until everyone else decided to throw in their two pence worth. _

-cc-

**AN: If you're unfamiliar with the song ****_Skinny Genes_**** by Eliza Doolittle and have a spare minute or two, check it out on YouTube. It's a fun, cheeky, summery song. **

**The next post will be in a week's time. I'm currently aiming for thirty-six chapters, give or take a couple. **


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all your reviews, and to all of you who've added this story to alerts or favourites. It's hit 1000 reviews and 1000+ follows. I'm so happy! Yay! *CC does embarrassing happy dance***

**This chapter and the two that follow all take place in the few days after Bella's birthday party. Then there will be a flashback chapter, and the one after that, Chapter Twenty-Six, will jump ahead a few weeks. I hope you like them!**

**SunflowerFran3759, my fabulous pre-reader and beta, totally sorted out my awkward turns of phrase in this chapter. Thank you Fran!**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. Song lyrics in this chapter are borrowed from ****_Skinny Genes _****by Eliza Doolittle. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

**Chapter Twenty-Two**

September 2012

Bella hadn't slept well. After Edward left, she had eaten too much sweet stuff, and had a bit too much champagne, trying to block out the sick feeling at the thought that Jacob may have violated her, as well as been responsible for drugging her cousin. She had ended up waking up in the middle of the night with a headache, which thankfully had waned after taking some ibuprofen.

She didn't go in with Rosalie first thing, choosing instead to linger in bed until the last moment. She finally made it into the studios just five minutes before her meeting with The Hunters at 9.30. She hoped that she could rattle through her session with them and be done in a couple of hours. Unfortunately James Hunter decided to turn her morning to crap.

"We've decided that we don't like _Wind Up_," James told her before she'd even sat down.

"Oh, uh, OK ..." Bella replied, taken aback. "What changed your mind?" She looked around the room. The rest of the band was nodding, but Victoria in particular looked rather glum.

"We had a discussion last night. Vic sang it again and we're not sure it's right for us."

"I suggested, Bella, that they give it one more go in the studio, but with James singing it, to see if the band is happier with the sound, before making a final decision," commented Jacob.

"But yesterday you agreed that it was a song for a girl's voice."

"Yes, but I'm not the musical genius, James is." Bella narrowed her eyes at Jacob. _But you're a first class, creepy kiss-ass. _

"Fine. Do you want to do that before we get started on the last track, or should we get something down on paper and you can test both out at the same time."

"The latter," James snapped.

"All right then." Bella leaned across and hit 'play' on the sound system.

Half an hour later, she had come up with a rough draft of another track to James's music. Bella thought that it was trite and bland, and was prepared to screw it up and start again, but James seemed to like it.

"Now that's what I'm talking about! This is more me! Why couldn't you have come up with something like that for the other track? Let's test them out!"

"Fine."

They headed to the live studio, and the band set up.

"Right, we'll play the new track first, and then _Wind Up,"_ declared James, almost snatching the lyrics from Bella's hand. The band launched into the track, and Bella cringed. _It sounds like a five year old wrote it._

"Wow! Yeah! James, guys, that sounds amazing!" Jacob enthused, when they were finished. "Bella, well done!"

"Thank you. Do you want to give _Wind Up_ another go before we take a break?"

"Oh yeah, _coffee." _Jacob's tone was suggestive and Bella suppressed a shiver of disgust.

"The music's starting." Bella turned back to face the band, but did a double take as she caught a glimpse of someone in the recording booth, watching them.

Edward.

"One, two, one, two, three, four ..." Laurent counted them off and James started singing.

"_I really don't like your point of view  
I know you'll never change  
Stingin' me with your attitude  
I've got the mind to walk away ..._

Bella thought that it definitely sounded better when Victoria sang it.

_[Chorus:]  
I don't mind it when you [whistles]  
Brings out the best in me when you [whistles]  
Show your expertise  
When the night always ends with a fight  
I'm excited that you wind up next to me ..._

James stopped singing mid-song.

"No, I hate it. It's lame. It doesn't sound like us."

"OK, well, then I suppose I'll have to come up with something else."

"I think you're mistaken, personally." Edward's smooth voice came over the speaker from the recording booth. "I think it has the potential to be a big hit, if a female vocalist sang it."

"Who the hell are you?!" cried James.

Edward stepped into the studio.

"Edward Cullen. These are _my _studios."

"Well, you're wrong. The song is shit."

"Oh, well, then you won't mind if I take Bella's lyrics and write a better melody for it."

"What, you can't do that! She wrote those words for us!"

"You just said that it was shit, which infers that you don't want it. All intellectual property created by a member of AJE Records' staff belongs to AJE Records until officially released for use by an artist, manager, producer or record label not otherwise affiliated with AJE Records. That includes Bella's lyrics, regardless of who wrote the music."

"Jacob?"

"Your manager has no choice but to agree. It will be in the contract you signed with us."

"I'm afraid that is the case, James," added Bella. "But what's the problem? You don't like it, that's fine. I can write you another set of lyrics."

Everyone in the room watched as James battled with his ego. His ego won.

"Fine, take the shitty lyrics and do with them what you will!" James eventually responded. "Jacob, Bella, we're taking a break."

"Okay, I'll see you then ..." The band members all left their instruments and quickly walked out of the studio.

"So, Bella, time for that coffee?" Jacob asked, holding the door open.

"I was going to ask if you could stay to discuss a few things with me. What with me having been away, there's a lot for us to catch up on," stated Edward.

"Um, uh..." Bella desperately wanted to stay with Edward. "I do have a whole list of things I need to talk to you about ..."

"But Cullen's not going anywhere. You work together all the time. Today's my last day in the studio, and you did promise me," retorted Jacob, touching her elbow. Bella flinched.

"Yes but ..."

"And we also have to fit in writing an extra track later, now that _Wind Up_ is off the table."

Bella's heart sank.

"True. Edward, I'll find you later."

She took in his angry face and mouthed 'I'm sorry.' It didn't mollify him, especially when Jacob strode out with a smug grin on his face. When Edward's phone started ringing a moment later, with 'Emmett' flashing on the screen, his mood deteriorated even further as he abruptly pressed 'end.'

-cc-

Emmett was in a foul mood in his office. He had been expecting Edward to react the way he did, but he hated fighting with his younger brother. They were very close and rarely fought, and even when they did, it would only be a couple of hours before they made up. Emmett had sent Edward several texts and had called, but Edward hadn't responded.

A text message chirp interrupted his moping. It was on his second mobile, and only one person had the number, Rosalie.

**_Morning, handsome. Miss you. Was Edward OK? R x_**

Emmett found himself yearning to see her. Apart from a quick meeting early in the morning a week earlier, he hadn't seen Rosalie since Alice, Jasper and Bella had returned from London.

**_No. Have to see you, love. Things so fucked up right now. Please? E x_**

Rosalie called him straight away.

_"Em, did he tell you what happened? About how his split with Bella was my fault?"_

"Yes, love ..."

_"So now you hate me, right?"_

"Not at all, love. I understand. Believe me, I really do. Something that I did when I was twenty-two and stupid, has come to bite me in the ass, and I'm really sore about it. Edward's not talking to me at all. I need you, gorgeous girl. Please, is there any way we could meet, tonight?"

_"Vera's visiting her in-laws this weekend. I guess I could ask Bella to watch the twins? If she can, where should we meet? Yours?"_

"No, with my apartment being in the centre of town, it's too conspicuous. I'll get a hotel room. Anywhere you suggest."

_"Let me beg and plead with Bella first, OK?"_

"OK, love. Talk later. I love you."

_"Love you too."_

After they hung up, Emmett called Edward again.

-cc-

Bella and Jacob picked up coffees from AJE's large kitchen/dining room and went back to her office. Bella made sure she never took her eye off her drink and texted Rosalie to let her know her whereabouts.

"So, finally, I get some alone time with you!" he exclaimed as he sat down on her small tub sofa, taking up most of the room. Bella sat down in her office chair trying to ignore the feeling of revulsion that came with Jacob being in her personal space.

"Yeah, well ..."

"I must say that I was surprised when Dad said you were working for a record company."

"Oh, why?"

"I don't know. Doesn't it feel like selling out after doing freelance journalism for so many years?"

Bella felt irritation rise up from her gut.

"No. I love working here. If you remember, I've long been into music, and contemporary genres in particular, and being a lyricist allows me to combine that love with writing. Plus, the income is much better."

"Well, you're definitely good at it. Bree Tanner's success is purely down to that track, _Sweet Talk, _is it? And the B-side, _Night Light, _they're awesome." Jacob's compliment did nothing to quell the annoyance she felt.

"Well, I can't take all the credit. The music was written by Edward. And Bree's amazingly talented. The songs merely highlight the delicate nuances of her voice and range."

There was a moment of excruciating silence before Jacob spoke again.

"So, Dad tells me that you live with Rosalie and her kids. That must be a bit of a drag."

"Not at all, it's my choice. I feel so privileged to have had a hand in raising George and Gemma. They're such wonderful children," she told him. "It's a shame Royce chose not to be a part of their lives. He missed out."

"Yes, well ..." for the first time, Jacob's grin left his face and he looked away. "So ..."

"Have you heard from him at all? Royce?"

"What? Of course not! He's in some tropical paradise somewhere. I've not heard from him in years," he replied, not quite meeting her eyes.

Bella knew he was lying. His cocky persona had faltered, and she could see right through him. _I am so going to enjoy seeing you go down in a court of law. _

"Look, I'm back in town in three weeks, the first weekend in October. How about dinner? I know this really, quiet little place ..."

"Jacob, that's very nice of you but I'm busy that weekend. It's my best friend's birthday and we have plans."

"For the whole weekend?"

"Yes."

"You know, Bells, I'm really making an effort here. It's taken me a whole week just to have this coffee with you."

"And it feels like you're trying to pick up where you left off nine years ago, and I don't think that's possible, Jacob. I'm not interested in you like that."

"But you were interested in me before!"

"Very little, and that was nine years ago! A lot's happened since then. And if you were as interested in me as you now purport to be, why didn't you write or phone or email?"

"Well, I've been busy too you know! And maybe I didn't realise what I was missing until recently. Maybe I've come to my senses and want to get back the good thing we had going."

They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Hi, sorry to interrupt, but Bella, can I borrow you for a moment?" Rosalie asked, popping her head round the door. "Oh, sorry I didn't realise you had company," she added when she spotted Jacob. "Jacob."

"Rosalie, you're looking good." Rosalie merely nodded in acknowledgement of his so-called compliment. She, like Bella, found it difficult to talk to him. Every memory of Royce and his betrayal came flooding back when she saw him. Plus, the Jacob she remembered was funny, with a hint of arrogant. This Jacob was arrogant with a dollop of asshole.

"Jacob, I'll see you back in the studio in a few minutes," Bella told him, unable to keep a dismissive tone out of her voice. Jacob looked between the two sisters and huffed a little before getting up and walking out, leaving his half-drunk coffee on the coffee table. "What's up, Rosie?"

"I'm really sorry to spring this on you, but can you look after the kids this evening until tomorrow at lunchtime? Vera got a discounted voucher for an overnight stay at a spa hotel and it expires this weekend. They have space for us tonight but not tomorrow. Please?"

"Of course, it's not like I'm doing anything else."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, no problem. Enjoy."

"Thank you so much Bellsie!" Rosalie kissed her sister's cheek in gratitude. "Um, have you seen Edward this morning?"

"Only very briefly in the live studio."

"Did he say anything about last night?"

"No, he didn't have the chance. I was hoping to catch up with him later, but the way things are going, it's a long shot that I'll get any time to talk to him until after the weekend."

"Right." Rosalie felt inwardly relieved. _So there'll be time for me to talk to her this weekend about my stupid decision to ignore her wishes and go see him. _"I'd better get back to reception."

"Okay."

Rosalie left and Bella finished her coffee in peace before leaving her office to head back to the studio. She was sure that she would be in for a few difficult hours with Jacob and The Hunters before her day was over.

As she departed, however, she ran into something hard and deliciously lemon and ginger scented.

"Oof!"

"Oops! Sorry!"

"It's okay." Edward's arms came around her to steady himself, and his hands landed on her lower back. "You all right, love?"

"I'm good." _He called me 'love' again! _"I was just on my way back to the studio."

"No whatshisname? Jacob?" His hands drifted to her hips.

"He's already there. They're probably waiting for me."

"What are your plans like for the rest of the day?"

"I'm with The Hunters until at least mid-afternoon. Then I'll just be doing release forms and working on the library tracks. You?"

"Sadly, my afternoon is pretty busy. It's our financial affairs afternoon, where Alice, Jasper and I sit round a table with stacks of paperwork. But if you're free later, maybe we could have a go at rewriting _Wind Up_?"

"I'd love to, but I've got to leave with Rosalie at four to pick up the twins. I'm looking after them until tomorrow afternoon whilst she's away."

"I see. That's a shame." He was still standing close to her, his hands still on her hips. He took a deep breath. "I was really hoping to spend some time with you," he murmured.

"Sorry." She glanced down, her cheeks pinking slightly.

He let go of her hips and tilted her chin up.

"Don't be. I just want to make up for yesterday, and you know, catch up."

"I want that too. So call me over the weekend, or text me. You've got my number."

"I do. I will." He kissed her temple softly before letting her pass by.

The break seemed to have refreshed James and the rest of The Hunters, so that when Bella came back in, he was more amenable to her suggestions. Bella had realised that James only wanted music that made _him _look good, and not the rest of the band, and least of all not his wife Victoria. Therefore she resolved to write a less controversial, more generic set of lyrics for the token female vocal track that Prince Records insisted the band have on the album.

James, and therefore the rest of the band, loved her new material. Bella hated it, but she was so desperate to be rid of them that she was prepared to compromise her own sense of quality. She knew that Prince Records would find it acceptable for an album track, but if she were writing for one of AJE's artists, the lyrics would have gone no further than the wastepaper bin.

"So, it looks like we're done, then," she commented blithely whilst the band packed up their instruments.

"Yes, thank you Bella," replied Victoria politely.

"No problem." She turned to Jacob. "I'll sort out the release papers and the completed lyrics will be with you early next week."

"Great. And I'll phone or email you, like we discussed."

"Wait, Jacob, we never discussed ..."

"You asked me to, so I will."

"I asked why you didn't before, not for you to do so now."

Jacob shrugged.

"Semantics."

Without warning, he swept her up into a bone-crushing hug, ignoring her flailing limbs, before walking off to catch up with the band.

Bella shuddered in disgust. _Someone seriously owes me about a million for putting up with Jacob Black and his creeptacular douchebag-ness. _

-cc-

Edward's concentration was shot to shit. Calling or texting Bella over the weekend was simply not going to be enough contact for him. _I need to see her sooner, in any way, shape or form. _His pondering was interrupted by a text from his sister.

**_Hey, is it too much to hope that you're free tonight for dinner with me and Carlisle? I barely saw you last night at Bella's party! Esme xoxo_**

Edward replied instantly. It had been several weeks since he'd spent time with Esme and Carlisle, not since before departing for London.

**_Hey sis. Sorry about that. Dinner sounds ace. E xxx _**

**_Fab! Em's busy, wouldn't say with what. Just you, me & C. xoxo_**

Edward was suddenly hit with an idea, and rather than texting back and forth, he decided to call Esme.

_"Hi! Oh, what a treat to have a phone call from you in the middle of the day!"_

Edward laughed.

"How are you, Es? How's Bump?"

_"Bump is great! Doing cartwheels in there today, mind! So, dinner tonight?" _

"Sounds great, but I kind of have a favour to ask. I'm pretty sure you won't mind, but I also don't want you go gaga about it either."

_"Intriguing. Pray tell."_

"Would you mind inviting Bella and the twins over too? She's babysitting for Rosalie tonight. I really need to talk to her, but it doesn't feel right to drop over to her house unannounced, what with all our history and stuff."

_"Of course I don't mind. But Edward, why do you really need to talk to her_?" Esme asked, playfulness in her tone.

"Lots of reasons."

_"Oh, come on. Can't you tell me just a bit more than that?"_

"Let's just say that we've been getting on better, and I feel the need to build some bridges."

_"Edward!"_

"Sorry, sis, that's all you're getting!"

_"Fine! What would you like me to do?"_

"Just invite Bella and the twins over, and perhaps entertain the kids while she and I talk and write some music together. Is that doable?"

_"Of course it is!"_

-cc-

Bella and the kids were delighted to accept the invitation to dinner. The twins adored Esme and Carlisle. They turned up at Riverview Place at 6.30, as per Esme's request. Bella even whipped up a homemade, salted caramel and chocolate tart for dessert, knowing that her dear friend had craved salted caramel constantly through her pregnancy.

"Come in, come in!"

"Esme! Esme!" George and Gemma clamoured for her attention, happily telling her about their day at school as they followed her through to the kitchen where she poured them glasses of cordial.

"And how are you, Bella? Good day?"

"Better now that we're here. The band I've been working with all week have really put me through my paces."

"Wasn't their manager your family friend Jacob, who was at your party yesterday?

"Yes, that was him.

"He clearly seems to like you, but I get the impression that it's not reciprocated."

"Not at all. He's made it clear that he's interested in rekindling a relationship, and I can't think of anything worse."

"Rekindling?"

"We went out for a while when I was at Durham ..."

Bella became aware of footsteps behind her and turned around. It was Carlisle, with Edward close behind. Edward's eyes darted between her and his sister, his expression wary, having heard the tail-end of their conversation.

"Gem, it's Penny Hair Man!" whisper-yelled George to his twin, loud enough that everyone heard him. Edward's slight frown instantly disappeared, for he couldn't help but chuckle.

"'Penny Hair Man?' That's better than some of the things I've been called!" he laughed.

"Georgie, perhaps you could try greeting Edward a bit more politely?" suggested Bella, giving her nephew a warning glare.

"Sorry Edward. And hello!"

"Hello George." He turned to Gemma, who had ducked behind her brother in shyness. "And hello, Gemma."

"Hi," she replied, blushing. "Hi Carlisle," she added.

"Carlisle, look what I drew today!" George pulled out his drawing of an aeroplane from his rucksack. "Gemma, show him your picture of Grandpa's boat!" Whilst the twins turned their attentions to Carlisle, Edward moved over to Bella's side.

"Hi."

"Err, hi. This is a surprise."

"A pleasant one I hope?"

Bella blushed and nodded by way of an answer.

"Drink, Edward?" asked Esme.

"Whatever you and Bella are having."

"My homemade berry cordial."

"Perfect," he replied. "So, what happened with The Hunters?"

"I wrote another wishy-washy, generic track instead of _Wind Up_. I hate it, but James Hunter loved it, so I've completed the release papers and they are gone. Thank God."

"Jacob, too?"

"Yes, for now." Edward's frown returned.

"Speaking of _Wind Up, _I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed the lyrics from the database." He pulled a computer printout of the lyrics from the back pocket of his jeans. "I was going to have a play around with it this weekend. I'm sure that it could be an amazing track for a female artist if I can get the melody right."

"You know, I still need half an hour or so to finish dinner, and Carlisle's clearly got the twins occupied," Esme gestured to the dining table where Carlisle had the twins entranced by something on his iPad, "so why don't you two go to the piano room and have a play around with your song? I'll call you when the food's ready."

"Are you sure you don't mind?"

Esme glanced at Edward before answering.

"Of course not!"

"Shall we, Bella?" Edward asked, picking up both their glasses. Bella nodded and followed him to the piano in the large, grand drawing room at the front of the house. Edward placed the drinks on top of the piano, slid onto the bench and patted the seat next to him. Bella sat down. He scooted closer to her until their thighs were touching.

"God, James Hunter's a pain in the ass! I'm glad that they're not signed to us!"

"Me too!" she replied, enjoying his closeness, his warmth, his scent. "Did you mean it about the track though … that it could be a big hit?"

"A massive hit, but not with his piss-ass music. With mine though, hell yes!" Bella giggled at his confidence. _I don't doubt it_. "Why don't we see if we can polish up this track, _Wind Up, _is it?"

"Yeah, sounds good. Let's see what you got, Cullen!"

"Okay! I got an idea of a basic tempo and rhythm from before, but can you just recite the words for me, or sing, if you feel comfortable."

"Sure ..." Bella did as she was asked, reciting the words. Edward began playing some notes, and they repeated the words and notes until they seemed to flow together.

"Great! Let's try it from the top!"

Half an hour passed, and they didn't notice, lost in their music-making, finishing off a basic melody for _Wind Up, _which Bella adored.

"You are so clever! It works so much better!" Bella placed her small hand on his thigh unthinkingly and Edward was swift to cover it with his. Their fingers interlinked, as naturally as breathing.

"Only because the lyrics are so sharp. James Hunter's an idiot. If Bree, or any female artist with a decent range sang this, it would be a smash hit."

"His ego's like the fifth member of that band. Between him and Jacob, the arrogance in the room was almost unbearable."

"But yet, you still chose to have coffee with Jacob," Edward replied with chagrin. "I thought that guy didn't mean anything to you."

"He doesn't, but like I told you last night, I can't alienate him. He's my dad's best friend's son, and Emmett's boss's son for that matter. I don't like him, and I've been avoiding him as much as possible since he turned up, but I got backed into a corner last night."

"So I remember," replied Edward drily. "I don't like it."

Without letting go of his fingers, she turned so she was facing him, and boldly placed her other hand over his heart, which was thrumming underneath.

"Neither do I, _mon ange._ I wish he would piss off back to wherever he's been hiding and stay there."

"But you went out with him before? Jessica mentioned him at the showcase, and just now with Esme ..."

"I went out with him for a few weeks around nine years ago, when I was still at Durham and he was working in Newcastle."

"Did you sleep with him?" He demanded, even though he knew he had no right, feeling the hot jealousy and fury from the night before surge through him again. "Bella?"

"Please calm down, Edward. I slept with him once, not that I remember it. I went out with him for six weeks, when he was less of an arrogant prick, and I broke up with him the next day. He moved to Jersey, and I hadn't seen him since, until the start of this week. And furthermore, I had nothing to do with booking The Hunters in for lyric work."

"What do you mean, you don't remember it?"

Bella wasn't ready to share her suspicions that Jake might have spiked her drink all those years ago, or Jessica's more recently, not until she had had the chance to discuss things with Charlie. She reflected with sadness that at one time she had told him everything, but now she was hesitant. _He needs to learn to trust me again, and maybe I need to learn the same. _

"Well, it was at my dad's birthday party. I had no intention of sleeping with him, but ended up having a few too many cocktails and the next thing I remember, I woke up next to him not wearing anything. I couldn't look at him after that. I felt disgusted with myself. When he mentioned the next day that he'd gotten a job in Jersey, I was immensely relieved."

"That doesn't seem like you."

"It's not me, not at all. It's never happened since."

"The drinking amnesia or the sleeping with someone?"

"Both."

"Seriously, you haven't had sex since then?" Bella could see the red haze lift from Edward and they both relaxed a little.

"Well, I do recall a certain kitchen encounter a few weeks ago!"

"Oh, that!" Edward cupped her face with one hand. "Yes, as I remember, it was rather hot. You felt so good, my love." He stroked her cheek as she blushed. "I'm so sorry about last night. I just saw red, you know?"

"So I saw. I was surprised at how strong your reaction was. I've spent the past couple of months thinking that you didn't care at all."

"I haven't been able to get you out of my mind since the day we met again, Bella. I tried to pretend that I didn't have any feelings for you anymore, but it was out and out denial. And ever since London, it's been relentless. You occupy every waking thought, love. I keep thinking about how perfect we were together, and I keep wondering whether we could be that happy again, if we gave it a try." He swallowed hard. "W-what do you think?"

"I want to try," she whispered. "I've wanted nothing but another chance with you for twelve years, _mon ange_. But we can't just pick up where we left off and pretend that we didn't hurt each other as badly as we did. I need to tell you about what happened, because there's a lot to it that you don't know."

"You're right," he agreed, before letting her continue.

"Although I instigated our split by telling you we couldn't go away together, it was never my intention to break up. That was the last thing I wanted. You never gave me a chance to explain, and that wounded me. When you left, it felt like half of me went too."

"Oh, love ... where do we go from here?"

"We need to get to know each other again. We've both been through years of different experiences. There have been other people in our lives. Well, _your _life. Jacob was the only one in mine ..."

"Yeah, it was kind of hypocritical of me to get so jealous of Jacob," he admitted. "I wish I could say that there's been nobody else since you, love, but there were."

"I know. It was kind of hard to miss when you were in all the tabloids and gossip mags with Tanya Denali on your arm. Women throw themselves at you, Edward. Of course you would have taken advantage. I don't like it, but I understand it."

"They meant nothing. I was never able to commit to them the way they wanted because you never left my heart."

"You never left mine, not for a second." She leaned forward and pressed a kiss just under his ear. "It's been torture seeing the way other women react to you, Jessica most of all. Seeing you flirt with her, thinking that you were going out with her ... utter torture."

"That's why you asked about her last night, and why you were so distant after we had sex in my kitchen?"

"Yes, absolutely. I felt so bad because I thought you were with her, and then was all confused because you didn't seem to be bothered that we'd betrayed her. And then last night when you were jealous, I was even more confused, and ..." Bella couldn't help but ramble in order to release her anxiety. "I'm sorry! It's just that she's my cousin, you know?"

"Hey, hey," he tilted her head up to look into her eyes. "I'm ashamed of how I used Jessica. I flirted with her, and although I wasn't fully aware of it, I was doing it to hurt you. But I never even kissed her, let alone anything else."

"No? Nothing?"

"Nothing, and she's with Mike now. I'm both happy for them and completely relieved. Can you forgive me?""

"You didn't even kiss her?"

"Nope. Bella, my lips haven't touched another girl's since you came back into my life," he admitted. "I've been saving my kisses for you." Bella broke out into a wide, beatific smile.

"That was a cheese-tacular line, you know," she giggled. His hands found her hands and he wound his fingers into hers before pulling her closer.

"So what are you gonna do about it, Miss Swan?" He found himself leaning forward, and Bella leaned forward too, until their lips met gently for just a moment.

"As long as you stay, I'll forgive you," she murmured into his neck.

"And for the crap I pulled with Jessica?" She looked up and tugged him by his collar back to her lips before kissing him more firmly, flicking her tongue against his bottom lip before suddenly pulling away again.

"It really hurt me, _mon ange. _It was excruciating. I forgive you, but you can't ever, _ever_, do that to me again. If you're upset with me, _tell_ me."

"Never, love, never ever. I promise."

He wrapped his strong arms around her and she curled against his chest, both delighted that they fit together even better than they had when they were younger.

Esme, who had come to ask them to come through for dinner, promptly turned, stepped out of the room and did a small dance of delight when out of sight, prompted by what she had just seen. She then walked back towards the kitchen and called them for dinner from the hallway instead.

-cc-

**AN: I'm looking forward to hearing what you think! **

**My posting schedule for the next few weeks is going to be erratic, I'm afraid, but there should be at least one chapter a week, although it may not be on Sunday. Sorry. RL sucks sometimes! **


	23. Chapter 23

**AN: Hi everyone! Thank you so much for your amazing reviews. You all seem to be as happy about the progress of Bella and Edward's relationship as I am. **

**As I mentioned on the last update, my life's gone into crazy mode once again so I'm just posting when I have a chapter ready and I've got time to do it. This one continues immediately after the last one. **

**Huge thank you to SunflowerFran3759, my wonderful pre-reader and beta.**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. Song lyrics in this chapter belong to the artists mentioned in the text. ****_What Makes You Beautiful _****is by One Direction, and ****_Feel the Love _****is by Rudimental (featuring John Newman). This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

September 2012

In a country hotel just over the county border in South Oxfordshire, Emmett welcomed Rosalie.

"Oh, Rosalie, love! Aren't you a sight for sore eyes?!"

"Emmett!" She jumped into his arms and kissed him soundly. "I've missed you so much! Are you okay, handsome?"

"Better now," he replied, although it was clear to her that he wasn't his usual effervescent self. "I'm so sorry I dragged you away from the kids and made you lie to your sister."

"What happened with Edward? Did he tell you what I told him?"

"Yes."

"And you still want me? Even though what I did hurt him so much?"

"We both did Edward and Bella wrong, gorgeous girl. Let's order some room service, and then I'll tell you what I did. I'm sure you'll hate me afterwards, though."

"I could never hate you, Em."

"I hope you mean it."

He leaned forward and brushed her lips with his.

"If you keep doing that, we'll never talk." Emmett reluctantly let her go.

"You're right."

Once they'd ordered dinner, and changed into more comfortable clothes, Emmett and Rosalie curled up together on the large bed.

"See, Rose, I never really did relationships until I met you. I had a few casual girlfriends, but I never really got the whole dramatic falling in love thing. Not until I walked into my brother's workplace one day, three months ago, and there was this gorgeous blonde who totally turned my world upside down."

"Ditto, handsome."

"When Edward met Bella, he said it was like his entire being suddenly felt whole. We were both still pretty raw from our mum and dad dying, and he was only eighteen, but he said that being with her soothed him and healed him. And when I met her the first time, I could see what he meant.

"Edward's always been a bit **...** different to the rest of us Cullens. Talented as fuck when it came to music, and so bloody intelligent, but he was never at home in a classroom. Somehow he convinced himself that because he wasn't academic, that what he chose to do with his life didn't hold the same worth as my career choice, or Esme's. When he was with Bella, however, none of that mattered. He was happier, lighter, and more confident."

"Em, where are you going with this?"

"When he and Bella split, he was utterly fucking broken, Rosie. He was a crying, sobbing mess. He could never bring himself to talk about it, just saying that she broke up with him. He decided that he was going to go away without her, but he was still crying when I said goodbye to him at the airport.

"He ended up in New York and he was there during 9/11. He actually saw the planes crashing into the tower. Some film crew captured him on camera as the second plane hit, and the footage went global. It was all over the news. I still have a tape of it somewhere. Turns out that Bella saw the footage on the news and she came to see me, desperate to find out if he was okay."

"She came to see you?"

"Yeah, she came to find me at my old flat in Leamington. Rosalie, she was such a mess. She looked gaunt, like she had come from Auschwitz or something. She was near hysterical. When I told her that I'd had a voicemail from Edward, she sobbed in relief."

Emmett pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve the pressure in his head.

"Em?"

"As she left, she asked me to tell him that she was sorry and that she still loved him; she said she'd always love him."

"And you didn't tell him?"

"No, I didn't. Because all I saw was that their love had broken her, and it had broken him, and all they'd done was cause each other a fuckload of heartbreak and pain and sorrow. I didn't get it then, but I do now that I've met you."

"So when you said that it had come back to bite you in the ass, did you mean that he found out? You told him?"

"Yeah. He was really upset last night. First it was seeing Jacob Black pawing at Bella at her party. He was pissed at that, and then pissed after the conversation with you. I made him tell me exactly what Bella said to him that night. And as he explained it to me, it became apparent that she never actually said she wanted to break up, just that she had expressed some doubt about the trip. But Edward has a tendency to overreact. When I pointed this out; one thing led to another and I ended up telling him about 9/11."

"Oh, God, I shouldn't have gone to talk to him then. He said he was really tired and I practically barged in."

"It would have come out eventually, love, all of it. Edward realised in London that he's still in love with Bella. It would only have been a matter of time before they talked and she told him."

"Maybe."

"I know I deserve it but it kills me that he won't talk to me. He was so mad, and I can't help but worry that things will never be right between us again."

Rosalie curled around him and held him tight.

"Shh. It will work out. He'll come round," Rosalie told him.

"You sound confident. I wish I could be."

"I am confident because I've been in the same boat."

Emmett looked up.

"What do you mean?"

Rosalie clutched onto Emmett's arm.

"Their split was my fault to start with. It was my stupidity and selfishness that started the ball rolling, and Bella forgave me."

"I didn't get the full story from Edward because he was so upset. Please, could you tell me?"

Rosalie explained what happened the night before Bella called Edward to tell him she couldn't go with him, ending with Renee's ultimatum to her. When she finished, she was crying.

"See! If I hadn't told my parents, none of their heartbreak would have ever happened!"

"Rosie, Rosie, Rosie ... it's okay, gorgeous." He stroked her hair as she sobbed into his chest. It took her a few minutes to calm down.

"Why aren't you mad with me?" she sniffed. "I caused them so much pain."

"You did what you thought was the right thing, love."

"I didn't just do it because I was worried about Bella's safety, though, Em. Part of me did it because I didn't want her to be so far away, and because I was worried about how our family would be perceived if my younger sister ran off with her boyfriend when I was about to marry the son of one of Warwickshire's most eminent businessmen. I was so selfish and spoilt."

"But it wasn't you who really stuck the knife in. You couldn't have known that your vindictive, malevolent mother would take your care and concern and use it to manipulate Bella into doubting her and Edward's relationship," he replied. "Are you mad with me? I prolonged their agony too."

"No, you did what you thought was right, even if it was short-sighted," she sighed, drying the last of her tears. "There's nothing we can do to change the past, handsome, however much we want to."

"No. I just wish I could believe that Edward will forgive me."

"He will. Bella has the kindest, biggest heart of anyone I know and she loves Edward completely and utterly. If he deserves such love from her, then he must be in possession of an equally big heart. This means he's capable of the same level of forgiveness as her."

"I hope so, love. I really hope so."

-cc-

After a delicious dinner of spinach and ricotta cannelloni, followed by Bella's chocolate salted caramel tart, the twins, who had heard Edward playing the piano earlier, asked him to play again. Their wariness of 'Penny Hair Man' was fading, when, over dinner, he told them quirky stories about famous artists he had worked with or written music for over the years.

"What would you kids like to hear? Do you have a favourite?"

"Gemma really likes One Direction!" cried George.

Gemma went bright red and covered her face with her hands.

"George!"

Her brother doubled over in fits of laughter.

"There's nothing wrong with One Direction!" exclaimed Esme. "The baby likes them," she added patting her rounded tummy.

"Yeah?" Gemma asked, tentatively peering out from behind her fingers.

"It's true," confirmed Carlisle. "Bump wriggles when their song is played."

Edward started to play _What Makes You Beautiful_ on the piano, and sure enough, there was a visible movement from Esme's tummy.

"Oh wow!" George and Gemma rushed to sit next to Esme while Edward played. Bella chuckled at their enthusiasm. Edward grinned at her and she came to stand next to the piano.

"_Baby, you light up my world like nobody else ..." _he began to sing quietly, capturing her attention, "_the way you flip your hair gets me overwhelmed ... when you smile at the ground it ain't hard to tell ... you don't know ... oh oh ... that's what makes you beautiful ..."_

Neither one of them could break their gaze, and he continued to sing to her, as if nobody else was in the room.

"Edward ..." she eventually managed to mumble. He gave her a crooked grin and broke away from looking at her face to glance at the space on the piano bench next to him. "Okay." And for the second time that day, she sat next to him, and he brought the song to a close before kissing her on the cheek.

"Damn, I wish I'd written that song," he murmured. "It's not really AJE's style, but it's genius."

"But you've written some other amazing songs, _mon ange," _she murmured back, nudging his knee with hers.

"That was so cool!" George bounded over and situated himself against Edward on the other side of Bella, while Gemma came to sit on Bella's knee. "Can you play the Horsy Song?"

"Err...'Horsy Song?'"

"He means _Feel the Love _by Rudimental_._ The video has those guys riding horses through the city?"

Edward laughed out loud.

"'Horsy Song?' I love it! I'll have to tell the band that next time our paths cross!" George, if you want the Horsy Song, you shall have it!" Edward launched into a piano version of the drum and bass track that had been a huge hit all summer.

_"You know I said it's true ... I can feel the love ... can you feel it too ... I can feel it ah-ah ... I can feel it ah-ah-ah-ah ..."_

An hour and a half later, Edward's fingers hurt and his voice was hoarse, but he couldn't remember the last time he had so much fun. As soon as they stopped playing and singing, and switched to watching Toy Story, the twins fell asleep on the sofa.

"I ought to get them home."

"So soon?" asked Edward. "It's not even ten o'clock." Esme and Carlisle glanced at each other, something which neither Edward nor Bella missed.

"Yeah, I know it's not that late, but I need to put the twins to sleep in their own beds, or else they'll be grouchy tomorrow."

Carlisle and Edward insisted on carrying George and Gemma to the car for Bella. Carlisle gave her a quick, goodbye hug and disappeared back into the house while Edward lingered.

"So tonight was brilliant, and the twins, they're fantastic."

"I know, they're great and you did so well with them."

"Thank you. I kind of surprised myself there." They got caught up looking at each other, and it was Edward that reluctantly put an inch of distance between them. _I don't want to go too fast but I can't say goodbye yet. "_Bella, I'm really not ready to end the night yet. I feel like we're only getting started again, love."

"You know that if I ask you back to mine, Edward, we won't talk. I recognise this sensation between us, implicitly," she said, as she gestured between their bodies**.**

"I can behave myself. Besides," he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "The next time we make love, I want it to go on for hours. No interruptions, no pressures, just you, me, the foreplay, position after position, orgasm after orgasm ..."

"Edward!"

"Like we used to. Remember, love?"

"How could I forget?"

"Please, we need time together, Bella, just talking."

"Of course we do, but tonight, when we're both tired, and when I've also got the twins, is probably not the best time."

"You're right as always, love. So when?"

"Sunday? Rosalie will be taking the kids swimming, so they won't be around and ..." Bella paused as she realised that Edward's gentle smile and relaxed stance had gone. "... what?"

"Nothing."

"Edward, it's not nothing. What's the matter?"

"It's just that Rosalie came round to my cottage yesterday. She tried to talk to me but I was too wound up to get the full story. I need to hear it from you."

"She did?"

"Yeah, after I told you I wasn't coming back to the party. You didn't know?"

"No. In fact, I asked her not to talk to you at all, for that precise reason. I knew that if she or anyone else tried to discuss our split with you, you'd get all anxious and struggle to control your temper."

"Yeah, that's exactly what happened. One of my pillows took the brunt," he replied, marvelling at how well she knew him, despite their separation.

"Feathers everywhere!"

"Oh dear!" she suppressed a giggle at the image of Edward covered in white fluff. "Rosalie's just ... protective, and headstrong, so sometimes she just weighs in without thinking things through."

"Just another reason why we need to talk so badly, love. Inside I'm all confused and angry."

"Absolutely, _mon ange." _She rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him lightly before redirecting the conversation. "You've got plans with Siobhan and Liam tomorrow, right?"

"Yes, they're coming up in the morning. Liam, Jasper, Carlisle and I are playing golf during the day, while Alice, Esme and Siobhan go shopping in Birmingham. Then we're meeting them in the city for dinner at Purnell's. Esme and Carlisle will head home after dinner while the rest of us meet a couple of the A&R officers at a gig at Aston University. They want a second opinion on a couple of artists."

"Sounds like a great night. You know, I keep meaning to call Siobhan about my creative writing."

"You could come with us tomorrow. There'll be plenty of room, and they'll be delighted to have you join us."

"I'm having dinner with Angela and her husband Ben tomorrow. Do you remember Angela?"

"Of course."

"Besides, it feels too early, you know. If I show up, Alice in particular will ask lots of questions, and until we've talked about what happened ..."

"I get it, too much too soon, right?"

"Yes, exactly."

"Not to worry. Sunday lunchtime? I'll call or text about times."

"Perfect."

-cc-

**_"Hi Tyler, it's Bella Swan. Please could you call me when you get this? It's to discuss my contract with you. I'm sure that you're aware that it's up for renewal."_**

After leaving Tyler a voicemail, Bella got up, and by the time Gemma and George had padded downstairs for breakfast, she was joyfully baking up a storm whilst humming _What Makes You Beautiful._

"Auntie Bella, you seem happy!" observed Gemma. "Are you making double chocolate chip cupcakes?" she asked, as she spotted the bag of chocolate chips and the cocoa. Chocolate was a carefully rationed treat in Bella and Rosalie's house.

"I am indeed, Gemma."

"COOL!" The twins yelled in unison.

"And since you two were so good yesterday at Carlisle and Esme's house, I think that you can watch TV while you have your breakfast!"

Just as the twins were settled in front of Tracey Beaker with bowls of Rice Krispies, Bella's shiny new white iPhone rang. She walked back into the kitchen.

_Edward_

_"Hello, love!"_

"Hi yourself, how are things?"

_"Well, I woke up in a rather good mood actually…"_

"Oh, really, maybe there's something in the air. I'm in a rather good mood myself!"

_"What are you up to? Are you still in bed?"_

"Nope. I'm being super-productive! It's not even 9 am and I'm up and dressed. I've left a voicemail for Tyler. I've got double chocolate chip cupcakes in the oven and I've already given the twins their breakfast and sorted out George's football kit for when we go to football practice later."

_"Double chocolate chip cakes? Yum! Lucky kids!"_

"Still in possession of that sweet tooth, _mon ange?"_

_"You bet I am!"_

They talked for nearly half an hour, until Bella had to get the twins ready to go out for George's football practice. They arranged that Edward would collect her on Sunday afternoon at midday for their date, but he wouldn't tell her where they were going or what they were doing.

At football practice, Gemma brought her latest book and sat a little way from the pitch, reading, whilst half watching the football. Bella stood at the edge of the pitch, still ecstatically happy from talking to Edward, ready to shout encouragement when George had the ball, although the team was still warming up. George was doing his star jumps and running on the spot when he suddenly started waving at a small figure running towards him on the pitch. It was Henry, his best friend, son of Vera, Rosalie's best friend. Bella looked round for Henry's father, Henry Sr., but was surprised when Vera jogged over to stand next to her.

"Err… hi! What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I know! We were supposed to be at Henry's parents' this weekend, but they're both down with the 'flu and the last thing we need is to be sick! So we're going to go next week when they're better."

"Right …" Bella checked her phone. There was a text message sent from Rosalie.

**_Hi Bellsie. Spa hotel lovely. Vera + I having great time. Will be back late afternoon. See you later R x_**

Bella was utterly confused. _Where is Rosalie if she's not with Vera? First she talks to Edward behind my back and then she lies to me? Why? _At that point, her mobile started ringing. It was Tyler.

"Hello, Tyler."

_"Bella, Bella, Bella! You must be a mind reader or some shit like that, baby, because I was just going to call you!"_

"Really?"

_"Yeah, and I've got some good news!"_

"Yeah? Do tell!"

_"I met with some publishers this week about your manuscript and they're really excited about it!"_

"Oh, which publishers?"

_"Oh, ah, well, that's not imp ... I'm not really at liberty to say yet ..."_

"Why not, it's my manuscript and I have a right to know who the publishers are."

"_As soon as I can, I'll tell you, baby," _he replied, trying to sound smooth. _"The thing is, however ..."_

"Yes?" Bella waited to see if Siobhan's description of Tyler's M.O. rang true.

_"The publishers want to see some edits before they meet with you."_

"Fine. Email me the edits they want and I'll do them."

_"They want to contract a professional editor to do the changes, and professionals cost money."_

"And how much will it cost?"

_"That's the thing. It'll cost around three hundred pounds, and with the contract renewal fee, it means that I need eight hundred from you by the end of the month ..."_

"Three hundred pounds? On top of your renewal fee? No way!"

_"Now, come on, Bella baby, I don't set these charges. They're industry standard! So just pop a cheque in the post and we'll be good to go. You want to get published, don't you?"_

Bella was fed up with being walked all over, for being told her own mind, for being lied to and for not getting the things she wanted. She was always the responsible one. Hurt and confused over Rosalie's actions, she snapped.

"Firstly, Tyler, I am not your 'baby'. Secondly, no agent in the industry**,** apart from you**,** charges contract renewal fees, only commission. Thirdly, you're not getting a penny from me because I'm not renewing my contract with you, you prick. And lastly, no publisher worth their salt contracts out their editing!"

_"What the fuck? When did you grow a backbone?"_

"When you were off spending my money and sitting on my novel! Now, I expect to receive my manuscript back in the post within a week."

_"Bella ..."_

"If I don't, I will sue you, just like I'll sue you if my manuscript turns up published by another author. And remember, my father's one of the country's most respected lawyers, so don't even think that I'll hesitate."

Bella promptly hung up.

She looked round to see Vera, Gemma and most of the other football mums gawping at her. _You know what? Growing a backbone feels pretty damn good. _She shrugged and returned her attention to George's football match.

-cc-

Vera insisted on taking George and Gemma back to her house for the afternoon, so Bella returned home alone to wait for Jessica, who was coming over for lunch with her and Charlie, in order to talk about their suspicions about Jacob. Still pondering why Rosalie would lie to her, she quickly threw together a lunch of sweetcorn chowder, garlic bread and mixed salad and finished just as Charlie arrived.

"Hello, my little lamb." Charlie kissed his younger daughter on the forehead. "How was your birthday party?"

"You knew?"

"Yes, Gemma told me on the phone the other day. Unfortunately I got stuck in a late meeting with a client otherwise I'd have popped in."

"It was a circus. I appreciated the gesture but it was drama and stress from start to finish."

"Was Jacob there?"

Bella couldn't help but go rigid at the mention of his name.

"Yes."

"Bella? What is it?"

The doorbell rang, indicating Jessica's arrival. Bella went to let her in and showed her through to the kitchen.

"Hi Uncle Charlie." Charlie's eyes widened as he took in his niece. She had dyed her blonde hair back to its natural brown colour and was wearing no make-up or false nails. She was dressed in blue jeans, a slouchy black jumper and tan Ugg boots.

"Hey, Jessie-bear," he replied. "How are you?"

"Good. It's, like, amazing what a near-death experience does for your perspective."

"I'm so sorry, Jessie."

"It's not your fault, Uncle C." Jessica glanced at Bella, who came round to stand next to her and squeezed her cousin's hand. "But Bella and I have an idea of who's to blame."

"Who?"

"Jacob Black," Jessica whispered.

"What?"

"Dad, Jacob was at the showcase that night. I didn't see him there, but there were a lot of people and I spent most of the night talking to people Alice wanted me to meet."

Bella and Jessica went on to explain what they remembered of the night, including what Jessica had said about Jacob being there.

"I was so embarrassed about the whole thing that I just wanted to forget it so when Bellsie suggested getting the police involved, I said no. I didn't trust any of the thoughts or memories in my mind, you know?"

"So what changed?"

"Seeing him strutting around the studios. I still can't remember, but whenever I see him, I feel sick and I can't breathe, just like on that night. I get images of the pink drink and a dark-haired man standing next to me, but I can't see his face."

"Dad, do you remember that big birthday party Mum threw for you the winter I was going out with Jacob?"

"Of course. It was the one and only time I saw you dance of your own volition ..."

"I don't think it was of my own volition. Jacob had been plying me with bright blue cocktails all night. I don't remember a single thing from the moment he gave me my first one, to the next morning when I woke up next to him. Naked." Charlie flinched.

"You think he drugged you too?"

"Maybe. I was behaving erratically. I don't remember anything from the night. When I woke up my head and heart were pounding so hard I thought I was about to explode."

"Which is how I felt when I woke up in the hospital," added Jessica.

"How do we proceed, Dad? I didn't want to go talk to the police and they laugh at us."

"They wouldn't laugh at you, my little lamb," Charlie told her. "This is a really serious accusation. What you're talking about is rape. 'Date rape.' But convicting perpetrators is extremely difficult and you need to be prepared for that."

"Does that mean we shouldn't bother, Uncle Charlie?"

"Not at all, Jessie-bear," Charlie replied. "You have a better chance of getting a conviction in this case, because we know for a fact that you were drugged. In that respect you were lucky it happened in central London because the hospitals down there see GHB poisoning so often that they test for it. If it had happened here, you probably wouldn't have been tested."

"But there's no way to prove he did it to me," Bella realised.

"No. It happened so long ago, and the fact that you were in a relationship ..."

"So we need to talk to the police, then."

"Yes. I have a friend who's a Chief Inspector in Warwickshire Police, called Colin Kennedy, who's originally from London and has links to the Metropolitan force. He'll help us liaise with the Met to get a warrant for the club's CCTV. He's already heard about Jacob because he's been the Fraud Team's go-to-guy for investigating his role in defrauding our family with Royce."

"Dad, should we speak to the Sector Prosecutor about this too? Emmett Cullen? Because surely this development could muddy the waters when it comes to prosecuting Royce?"

Charlie hesitated and looked away. _The waters are already pretty bloody muddy. _When he looked back, Bella was eyeing him curiously.

"Err, that's jumping the gun somewhat, my little lamb. The police have to be the ones to approach the prosecutors when they think there's a case. We need to focus on this first. If we approach Emmett Cullen without any evidence, it will look like we have premeditated an accusation of rape to try to secure a conviction in the fraud case."

"I see what you mean," Bella conceded. "Let's see what happens after meeting your inspector friend."

-cc-

Rosalie returned home full of new guilt and determined to tell Bella that she'd spoken to Edward. She was surprised to see Charlie there with Bella as she walked into the kitchen.

"Hi Dad. Hi Bellsie. What's going on?"

"Dad and Jess came over for lunch. You just missed her."

"Oh?"

"We think that she might have had her drink spiked in London. By Jacob."

"Shit! Really?"

"Yeah, and that he may have done it to me as well ..."

"Oh fuck, that night when you got really pissed at Dad's birthday party?"

"Yeah ..."

"What a mess. Are you OK?"

"Yeah. I actually feel better now that we have a plan."

"Good." Rosalie suddenly clocked the absence of little people. "It's eerily quiet in here. Where are the kids?"

Bella's expression hardened. She'd momentarily forgotten about Rosalie's lie.

"Well, it seems that _Vera_ couldn't go to her in-laws' house this weekend because they got struck down with the 'flu, so she brought Henry to football, and afterwards insisted on taking George and Gemma back to her place with Henry. She spent last night making her famous pizza dough and thought it would be fun for the kids to make their own pizza today. Funny, at no time did Vera mention a spa hotel. "

Rosalie realised she was busted. She glanced at Charlie who looked as surprised as she did. Clearly Bella hadn't mentioned it before that moment.

"Bellsie, I'm so sorry ..."

"What's going on Rosalie? Why did you lie? Where have you been all night?"

"I can't tell you! I'm sorry Bella, I really am! It's really complicated..."

"Try me!"

"I can't," Rosalie whispered back.

Bella felt cold and then hot, sweaty and prickly, as anger and frustration rumbled through her. Rosalie saw her sister's jaw clench and her face go bright red. _God, she's really mad. And I don't blame her. _

"Dad, would you mind giving us a couple of minutes of privacy?" Bella asked.

"Bells ..."

"I'm not _asking,_ Dad," she said through gritted teeth.

"Rosie?"

"It's OK, Dad."

Charlie huffed and went into the living room. Once the door was closed, Bella let rip.

"You know that I never, ever mind looking after Gemma and George. Never. But yesterday, you took advantage of me, and now you won't even tell me why?!"

"Bella, I'm so sorry. I really want to tell you this, but for the time being, I can't. You're right that we've not always been fair towards you. I definitely haven't. You do so many amazing things for me and the kids, and I'm so grateful. But I can't tell you this."

"For God's sake! First you talk to Edward about me, when I specifically asked you not to, and now this! It's like my opinions and my feelings don't matter to you!"

"How did you know about Edward?"

"He told me! Esme invited us over for dinner yesterday and he was there. On the night of my birthday he was tired from travelling. He was stressed out, and then pissed off because of Jacob being his arrogant fuckwit self. He just asked for some space. That's all! You didn't need to go wading in!"

"I'm sorry. I thought that if I tried to explain it was my fault, he'd understand and talk to you. It's so clear that he still loves you, Bella."

"Did you really do it for me, or to assuage your guilty conscience?" Rosalie looked up sharply. "Either way, I'm pissed because you disregarded my opinion. _I'm_ the one who knows Edward like the back of my hand, and it's _my _love, and _my _heart, so it should be _me _deciding how I want to handle things. And you lying to me about where you were and then not telling me why only confirms that you don't think that I matter."

"Of course you matter, Bellsie ..." Bella held her hand up. She needed her sister to just shut up. Rosalie stopped talking straight away.

Bella rarely got angry, being usually confrontation-shy, and when she did she hated herself because she couldn't do it without crying and snivelling and going red. This time was no exception. She took a minute to compose herself before continuing in a calmer voice.

"Were you safe, at least? Did somebody know where you really were and who you were really with?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

Rosalie glanced towards the shut door of the living room.

"_Who, _Rosalie?" Bella repeated.

"Dad."

"So Dad knows, but I don't? Damn it, Rosalie!"

"I know it's unfair, but it's to do with Royce and the case and..."

Bella had had enough.

"You know what, forget it. I'm going out."

"NO!" Rosalie yelled. "Bella, don't leave. Please believe me ..."

Charlie emerged from the living room when he heard Rosalie shout. Bella looked at him with a withering stare before addressing them both.

"I'm not eighteen anymore. You shouldn't have made a decision on my behalf then but I forgave you because I love you both. But you don't get to make decisions on my behalf any longer. If I ask you not to talk about me, Rosalie, I expect you to respect that. If something's happening that affects my family, I have a right to know. Until you two realise that, I don't think I have anything left to say to either of you."

-cc-

* * *

**AN: I'm not sure when the next update will be, but it will be within a week. **

**Thank you for stopping by! **


	24. Chapter 24

**AN: Hello everyone! Massive thanks to all of you for reading and reviewing. Apologies for my epic fails at review-replying. My life is crazy right now! **

**Lots of positivity regarding Bella standing up for herself against Tyler and against Rosalie and Charlie. I think it was about time she took her increasing self-confidence for a spin! **

**Huge virtual hugs to my wonderful pre-reader and beta SunflowerFran3759. She really liked this chapter, and I hope you all will too. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

September 2012

Edward was in an exuberant mood all of Saturday. He trounced Jasper, Carlisle and Liam at golf, and the smile never left his face. By the time they were in the car on the way to Birmingham to meet the ladies for dinner, Jasper couldn't help but ask.

"Edward, man, what's with you? You've been like a kid on a sugar high all day!"

"I don't think it's a 'what', Jazz. I think it's a 'who,'" observed Carlisle, "a very lovely, 'who.'"

"Really?" Jasper glanced at his best friend, who smiled and shrugged. "God, please tell me that you've finally got your head outta your ass over the fair Bella!"

"Yep," Edward replied, grinning. "We talked yesterday and we've got a date tomorrow."

"That's great, man!"

"You and Bella?" Liam asked, surprised. "But I thought you were into blondes? In fact, weren't you seeing Bella's cousin?"

"No, not at all."

"Liam, if I'm not mistaken, the reason Edward's dated blonde bimbos for years is because one little brunette named Bella broke his heart," explained Carlisle.

"Totally, man!" agreed Jasper.

"Really?"

"Err, yeah. Bella was my first girlfriend, when I was eighteen, and we had a very painful break-up. I freaked out when she turned up again, and I acted like a fucking jerk by flirting with Jessica in front of her. But I've come to my senses. Thankfully she's the most understanding person on the planet and also wants to give our relationship another chance."

"Too right, Bella's absolutely stunning, and one of the sweetest, most intelligent women I've met in years. If you lost her once before, make damn sure that you don't do it again."

"Don't worry. This time, I'm never letting her go."

Edward meant it. He had blamed Bella for their break-up before, but, even though he was angry with Emmett, he acknowledged that his brother had changed his perspective, and that he had played a role, too. The realisation made him feel terrible, and he hoped desperately that they could both move past the pain they'd caused each other to form a new, passionate, yet solid, relationship.

By the time lunchtime rolled round on Sunday, Edward was nervous, ecstatic and worried all at the same time. He pulled up outside the address Bella had given him, and then double checked to be sure that it was correct. The small, terraced house was almost as far removed from the grandeur of Riverview Place as possible.

He brushed a speck of dust off his otherwise immaculate, forest green, merino wool jumper and knocked loudly on the door. A moment later, Bella opened it and Edward's heart swelled and soared at the sight of her. She was dressed in a burgundy, knitted tunic over a long-sleeved, black t-shirt and black skinny jeans with flat, but stylish, black brogues, her hair tied in a simple, sleek, high ponytail.

"Hey, you look so beautiful, love." He kissed her at the side of her mouth and smiled as she sighed in response.

"Thank you. You look very handsome in that jumper, _mon ange._" She showed him inside. "Sorry the place is full of kiddie-crap," she added, gesturing to the clutter.

"No problem," he replied, although privately he was thinking about how hard it must have been for her and Rosalie to go from living in the luxury of Riverview Place, to their current surroundings.

Let me just grab my bag ..."

"Penny Hair Man!" George, wearing just his swimming trunks and his goggles, had come down the stairs at the sound of the doorbell and ran to greet Edward. "I mean, Edward! Hello! Are you coming swimming with us?"

"Georgie, remember what I said at breakfast? Mummy's taking you and Gemma swimming, while Edward and I go out for the afternoon."

"George? Where did you go and why aren't you dressed yet?" called Rosalie before coming down the stairs. "I've got your clothes here ... oh, hi Edward." She looked at Bella, who turned away slightly, still upset with her sister.

"Rosalie." Edward's response was curt and the tension in the room was painfully palpable.

"Mummy, I want Edward to come swimming with us!" Both Rosalie and Bella were acutely aware that George was desperate for male role models since the only significant man in his life was Charlie.

There was an awkward silence before Edward dropped down onto his knee so that he was eye-level with George.

"Not today, kiddo, but sometime soon. Your Auntie Bella and I have to go do something really important this afternoon. But another time, okay?"

"Promise?" the little boy asked.

"I promise." He looked over at Rosalie and gestured for the clothes in her hand. She passed them to him and he helped George get dressed.

"Will you play the Horsy Song for us again too?"

"Of course."

George launched himself at Edward.

"Yay! Thank you!"

"You're welcome. Say hi to Gemma for me, okay?"

"I will." George let Edward go and bounded back upstairs.

"Shall we, Edward?" Bella gestured towards the door.

"Of course, love." He got up and walked over to her. "Bye Rosalie."

He was surprised when Bella did not say anything to her sister as they left.

"Is everything all right, Bella?" He asked as he pulled away from the curb. "You and your sister didn't say a word to each other."

"We had a fight. I'm really pissed off and not really speaking to her. I'm trying to be civil in front of the twins but I'm just so ... ugh!"

"Why, love?"

"I was upset with her because she spoke to you about us when I asked her not to, and then it transpired that she lied to me about where she was on Friday night. She said she was going on a last-minute spa break with her best friend, but she didn't. She wouldn't tell me where she was, but Dad knows. They said it's best I don't know, that it's to do with the case against Rose's ex-husband etc. But I hate when they treat me like this little doll that needs to be protected."

"I don't think I've ever seen you mad like this. What can I do to make it better?"

"Just being near you makes it better." She leaned across the centre console, ran her fingers into the hair behind his ear and let her hand settle over his shoulder. He turned his head and kissed her fingers. "So, where are you taking me?"

"Since it's a dry day, I thought we could go for a picnic in the gardens around Anne Hathaway's Cottage. You've probably been there a hundred times, but it's supposed to be pretty, and I thought you'd appreciate the Shakespeare connection."

"I love Anne Hathaway's Cottage!" Bella clapped. "And it's more than pretty. It's gorgeous. There are all these sculptures and orchards and ..."

"So I did well?"

"Oh yes, _mon ange._"

It was only a ten minute drive out to Shottery, the small village where Anne Hathaway's Cottage was located. Edward parked the car and before Bella had a chance to open her door, he was doing it for her. Bella stepped out and immediately wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Thank you. This is perfect."

"Oh hell ..." Edward couldn't help himself. He turned his face and captured her mouth. Bella responded instantly, pressing herself against him. He held her tight, cherishing her scent, her warmth, her softness and the gentle curling of her tongue around his. It was familiar and yet exhilarating.

Finally, a lack of air forced them to separate.

"Well! Wow!" gasped Bella.

"Uh-huh." Edward leaned forward to kiss her again, but this time Bella put her hand on his chest to stop him.

"As much as I would love to keep going with that right now, we're in public and we're here to talk, _mon ange_."

"You're right. Let's go." He picked up the picnic basket that Esme had helped him prepare that morning, and with his other hand, reached for hers. She took it happily. "I guess you know where to go better than me."

"I do know this place like the back of my hand," she admitted. "There's a really quiet spot in a corner of the orchard, if you don't mind a bit of a walk."

"Not at all. Say, Bella, what's the deal with your sister's ex-husband? You mentioned it earlier, but I don't know anything about it, other than a couple of comments from Alice. Something about him running off with your family's money, and then your mother leaving shortly, afterwards?"

"That's it in a nutshell." Bella explained the details of what had happened during the walk through the orchard. By the time they arrived at the spot, Edward was in shock.

"What a dickhead! To run off with the money is one thing, but to abandon your wife and children?!"

"Indeed. Rosalie's never gotten over it. It's only in the past couple of months, since she started working at AJE and the CPS started reinvestigating the case, that she's been happier."

Edward and Bella sat next to each other on the bench and he placed the basket on the picnic table.

"What would she have done without you, though? You gave up so much, love. Don't you ever get angry about giving up your dreams?"

"You've met Gemma and George. I could never regret a single day spent raising them."

"They are fantastic. Not that I've spent any time at all with kids to make any comparisons."

"You'd never know. You're an absolute natural."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, they loved you."

"Thank you," he replied. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes! What did you bring?"

"Minestrone soup in the flask, a selection of Italian cheese, some cherry tomatoes, pasta salad with spinach, pine nuts and pesto, mixed vegetable antipasti, herbed flatbreads, and for dessert, Italian almond and lemon syrup cake with raspberries. Oh, and some Prosecco and sparkling water."

"What an amazing spread!" Bella exclaimed.

"I can't claim responsibility. Esme helped me out. Prosecco?" He poured a full glass for Bella and a smaller one for himself as he was driving.

"Yes please." Bella accepted the plastic wine glass of Italian fizz. "Edward, are you vegetarian these days? I don't think I've seen you eat meat at all since I started at AJE, not that we've shared many meals together."

"I am, love. I haven't eaten meat for years. Twelve years, to be precise."

"What, since we ...?"

"Yeah." Edward felt sheepish all of a sudden. "I landed in Perpignan, got off the plane and went into town. I was really raw about us, and wandered around until finally I sat down at this bar. The landlord just plonked a plate of food in front of me with a glass of beer, and told me to eat. I ate all the bread, the cheese, and the veggies, but when it came to the charcuterie, I kept hearing your voice in my head talking about meat being unnecessary to sustain human life, as well as your passionate assertions about the welfare of livestock and the contribution of cow farming to global warming. So I left it. And when the landlord asked me why, and I told him that I was a vegetarian. And I have been ever since."

"Wow."

"Yeah. I don't miss meat at all though. You were right, like you're right about most things."

"I wasn't right on the phone that day, though, Edward. I should have been with you in France, in New York, and everywhere you went in between." Bella blinked back her familiar tears of regret.

"Did you really doubt that we would last, Bella?" he asked in a quiet voice before handing her a plate of food.

"No. I was so upset that morning, I could barely string a sentence together, but I never doubted that. I just couldn't go with you."

"Why?" He wanted to hear what happened from Bella's lips, so he didn't tell her what he knew from Rosalie.

"Rosalie found my travel bag and a letter I wrote to them. She panicked and told my parents. They took my passport. My mother … God, I never realised how poisonous she was until years later. She basically waved my passport in front of me and told me that if I went with you, I'd never see her, my dad, and most of all, Rosalie, ever again. Like a complete stupid-head, I believed her."

Edward put down his glass.

"So why didn't you tell me that they'd held you hostage?"

"I don't know. I was so distraught, I wasn't thinking clearly. In part it was because I didn't want you to come over and get into a confrontation with my family. When I phoned, I was trying to buy us time, so that I could think of a way for everything to work out."

"And I didn't let you explain. I just assumed that you realised you didn't love me after all, that you realised I was a waste of space, and told you to ..."

"'Have a nice life.' Possibly the four most painful words in the English language."

"I'm so sorry, love."

"You asked me whether I really doubted that we would last, and I'm so sorry that I left you believing that, but honestly, Edward, did you really believe that I gave a damn about status or money or any of that stuff?" She edged closer to him on the bench until her knee brushed his, needing to touch him.

"It was always something I worried about deep down. When we were at school, there was the Swan Auditorium and the Higginbotham Theatre, named after _your _family. And you were this academic whizz kid, this bright star, and I was just there only through luck, and an old lady's pity."

Bella, having been full of sorrow just a moment before, felt her temper flare.

"That's such bullshit! Edward, just because you didn't become a lawyer or doctor or go to university, didn't make you stupid, or any less worthy of anyone else at that school! Why do you measure yourself by someone else's yardstick? Have you forgotten that we got the same grades in school? Fuck, look at what you've achieved since leaving! Meanwhile, I hated every minute of my time in Durham, my two degrees mean next to nothing at all, and it's only because of a ridiculous series of coincidences that I'm finally doing something meaningful! And even then, it's because of you!"

"Hey, hey, come here." Edward pulled her into his lap. Bella's face was wet although she had managed to stop herself from crying like a baby in his arms. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"Can we leave it that we're both sorry, that we were both wrong, and that we both want to move on?"

"I can live with that." He held her close for a few minutes. "As much as it pains me to say it, we really should go slow, shouldn't we?"

"Yeah, we should. This is precisely why need to get to know each other again."

"Exactly, we've been through so much and I want to find out about every single moment we missed."

"Me too! I want to know about your travels, and New York, and how you met Alice and Jasper; everything." She pressed her lips to his collarbone and Edward shuddered with want for her.

"Feels so good, love, but we won't be going slow if you keep doing that."

"You're right." She slid off his lap and back to the bench, although not before kissing him lightly on the lips.

They ate in comfortable silence, their fingers occasionally nudging, as if reassuring each other that they were still there.

"Well, that was delicious!" Bella exclaimed when her plate and cup were empty.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. Do you have room for pudding or do you want to wait for a while?"

"I'll wait and let things settle for a while." Bella patted her tummy. Edward covered her hand with his. "What?"

"You know that you're even more beautiful than I remembered," he murmured. He let his other hand drift down the side of her hip and thigh. Bella trembled with desire.

"God, everything you say makes it harder for me to resist you," she whispered, hooking her fingers into the belt loops of his dark blue jeans and pulling herself closer and into his arms.

"So don't resist," he murmured, spinning her so that her back was to his chest. He swiftly began kissing her neck. His arms wrapped around her slender waist and after a cursory look round to make sure that there weren't any members of the public walking around nearby, his hands brushed up her torso to cup her breasts.

Bella's eyes fluttered closed as he began sucking her earlobe.

"Edward ..."

"I'll stop in a few seconds ..."

"Mm-hm ..."

He reluctantly pulled away as promised and she turned to face him.

"Damn, that was hard!"

Bella laughed and kissed him quickly, just under his jaw.

"Tell me about it, but we need time, _mon ange._"

"I know. Maybe we should have dessert now."

"Good idea." Bella cut the slab of cake into two pieces. "This looks amazing. Esme's outdone herself."

"She has indeed."

"Speaking of your siblings, how's Emmett? You know, he's been in the area for seven months and I've not seen him at all."

"Errr ... he's fine, I believe."

"Edward?"

"We kind of had a falling out. I found out that he didn't tell me something really important."

"What?"

"He never told me that you came to see if I was okay after 9/11," Edward whispered. It felt torturous to say out loud.

"Why not?"

"He says it was because he was angry that you had hurt me, because he thought you'd dumped me. He only told me because I finally told him what was said between us that day, and he, like you, called bullshit on my 'inferiority complex' as he put it."

"Wow."

"I'm sorry, love. If I knew …"

"Would it have changed anything?"

"Of course, Bella! Do you know what the worst thing about 9/11 was for me? It was losing my pictures of you. That was my first, prevailing thought when the police wouldn't let me back to my apartment that day, even though I thought that you didn't want me. If he had told me that you had come to find me and said that you loved me, I would have been home as soon as I could. I'd have come to Durham and would never have left your side."

"Would you have been a world famous music producer though?"

"I don't know but I'd still have been making music. I'd have carved another path for myself, one with the love of my life by my side."

"If you'd have come for me, I'd have left Durham without a second glance and gone anywhere in the world with you."

"You would? What about your family, and your mother's ultimatum … and Rosalie?

"By that time, I think I had pretty much realised that my mum had manipulated me and that I'd never lose my sister. Plus, I was so lost without you that I promised myself, I prayed every night, that if somehow, fate brought you back and you still wanted me, then I would never let you go again, no matter what."

"Oh, love, I'm never leaving you again."

"And nothing's ever going to keep me away from you, ever again." His arms tightened around her and she curled her arms up and around his neck before tucking her head under his chin. "Don't stay mad at Emmett for too long, okay? He did what he thought was best."

"I don't know. I'm really angry with Rosalie, too. How can you be so forgiving towards her, love? She's caused so much misery to both of us."

"Well, time heals, right? Yes, we were both miserable as a result of her actions, but she did what she thought was best. At the end of the day, she's my sister and I love her. She and Dad thought that our plan was too risky, too dangerous. They were heavy-handed and misguided with the way they handled it, but they did it out of love. My mother, on the other hand, knew that the person I loved most in the world apart from you was my sister, and used that to break me."

"I guess I understand. If I had been made to choose between you and Emmett and Esme, at eighteen, I would have struggled too," Edward sympathised.

"I want to move on from this, Edward. I'm upset with Rosalie right now, and you're upset with Emmett, but they're still our siblings, with whom we've shared our whole lives. I can forgive Emmett for what he did, because he thought he was trying to protect you. I hope that you'll be able to forgive Rosalie and my dad, because I want us to be one, big, happy family in time. I don't ever want to choose between my loved ones again."

"Hey, hey, Bella, my love ..." He rocked her gently in his arms. "It's just so raw now, but I'll get there. As you said, time heals."

-cc-

* * *

**AN: Thank you for reading. There should be another update this week, but I'm afraid I can't tell you when exactly! **


	25. Chapter 25

**AN: Hello! A quick update with a flashback chapter. There's only one more flashback chapter left after this one. I've been writing like a madwoman in between working (although I did take some time out to finish reading the amazing ****_Deviant _****by Planetblue) **

**Big thanks to my lovely pre-reader and beta SunflowerFran as always!**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**CC xxx**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

July 2005

"Any more boxes, Rosie?" Bella asked as she loaded up the boot of her car.

"That's the last of it," Rosalie sighed as she walked out of her soon to be ex-house, holding a babbling George on her hip and carrying Gemma in her basket. Bella glanced up just in time to see her sister's face crumple in misery.

"Oh Rosalie!" Bella rushed to her side.

"I'm OK! It's just that I loved this house so much! I got it perfect, and now we have to leave!" she sobbed. "And the new house is so small and ... ugh!"

They set down on the porch step and Bella put her arm around her sister, letting her cry it out.

"It's only temporary. Once Billy and the police find and prosecute Royce, you'll get your assets back and will be able to move to a better house," Bella tried to reassure her sister. "Why didn't you just move back in with Dad?"

"I did think about it, but it just felt wrong," Rosalie eventually replied. "I'm twenty-seven years old and have two children. I haven't lived at home for years and I just can't go back to living under his roof and not running my own household. Plus, he's stressed enough without having to worry about looking after us, and you know that he would. No, I'd only move back to Riverview Place as a last resort."

"I understand that. It's been weird moving back for the summer."

"Did you get your stuff through from St Andrews?"

"Yeah, I'm all set. My course begins on 19th September, with orientation the week before. I've got my accommodation lined up too."

"You know, Dad's still sore about not paying your course and accommodation fees."

"He'll just have to get over it. He can't really afford it right now and I've saved plenty. Besides, it's my third degree, and I'm nearly twenty-four, more than old enough to be paying my own way."

"Looks like we're both as stubborn as each other," Rosalie quipped. "Come on. Let's go move my crap into the dump."

Rosalie and Bella got into their cars, and drove to the new house, which was only about a mile away, where Charlie had just finished unloading his car.

"Have you got everything, tiger?"

"Yes we do. Are you all right? You look exhausted."

Both sisters had been worried about how much thinner and older Charlie looked in the three months since their lives were turned upside down, first by their financial woes and then by Renee's departure. He had spent the first week in a zombie-like state, only speaking when he picked up a phone to ring Renee, pleading with her to come home. It wasn't until Renee filed for divorce that her betrayal really and truly sank in. Thereafter, he managed to go back to work. He also managed to cope with the constant questions, statements and reports the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, led by Billy, needed from him with regards to tracking Royce and building a criminal case against him.

Charlie's role as Chief Crown Prosecutor meant that he earned a decent salary, but with no savings or pension fund, large tax bills pending, not to mention a big house to run and a mortgage, his monthly income was stretched. Plus there were now accountants' fees and other bills adding to his stress. He was trying to stave off taking out bank loans, but it was looking increasingly like such a course of action would be necessary.

At first, Rosalie was almost grateful that her mother had run away. It was easier to be angry with Renee than feel the hurt from Royce's betrayal. As time passed, she had a few days when she felt both pain and anger from both of them, around the same time as it became evident that she could not live in her beautiful, big house any longer, with two infants and virtually no income.

Renee's departure had left Bella with a whole new crisis of self confidence, upon realising just how shallow, selfish and callous her mother was. She was actually glad that she had gone, although she would never admit it. Bella found herself wondering, once again, why she had listened to Renee about Edward. When looking back, and forcing herself to relive the terrible day nearly five years earlier, when she and Edward broke up, it was clear that Renee had played on her own insecurities to keep her at home.

"Dad, Rosie's right. You look particularly tired today."

"I'm all right girls. I just didn't sleep very well." He pulled two envelopes out of his pocket. "These were waiting for me when I got home from work yesterday. The first one is the first part of the divorce, the decree nisi." He tucked one envelope back into his pocket and turned the other, a stiff white one with glossy black printing, over in his hands. "And this one ..." he passed it to Bella to show her. "... is from your mother."

Bella swiftly opened it.

_Save the Date_

_Renee Jane Higginbotham Swan and Philip David Dwyer_

_Are to be married on 24__th__ December 2005_

_Invitations to follow_

On the back of the card was a note in Renee's spidery scrawl.

_Just thought you'd like to know, Charlie. Don't expect an invitation. _

"Oh Dad, that's so cruel."

"I know. That's not the Renee I married; she's no longer the sweet, carefree girl who went wild swimming and volunteered to help the homeless. That Renee would never have been so heartless."

"But Dad," Rosalie began, "she wasn't the Renee who left. The Renee who left was a bitter, selfish harpy, who hated the fact that she was getting older."

"Rosalie ..."

"It's true. I know it's hard Dad, but you're going to have to move on. You gave her everything she wanted, everything she asked for and more, but what did she give you in return?"

"You girls. I'll always love her because I got my tiger and my little lamb."

"And you'll always have us," Bella promised.

"I know. The fact that you're still here despite us causing you such pain and heartbreak is testament to that."

Bella thought about telling them that Renee was the one who really twisted the knife in, but decided against it. They were hurting so much that she didn't want to make it worse.

"You're my family, always."

-cc-

Spending time with his daughters and grandchildren always made Charlie feel better. After a couple of hours helping Rosalie and Bella unpack, however, it was clear that he was tired and causing more hindrance than help by putting things in the wrong places. The twins had chosen the same time to become a little fussy, so Charlie offered to take them out in their buggy for a walk to the local park so Rosalie and Bella could sort out the new house.

He walked round the park for half an hour before settling on a bench by the duck pond. Gemma was content to just watch and point at the ducks from within the buggy, occasionally babbling to herself and pointing at the birds as they flapped around by the edge of the water. George, however liked to be picked up and held, so Charlie bounced him on his knee, causing the little boy to giggle in delight.

After Charlie gave the twins their snack of peach puree, they both fell asleep. Charlie lingered by the duck pond, contemplating his life. _What's the point in carrying on? No wife, no money ... _He glanced at George, peaceful in his arms, and quickly dismissed his line of thought. Family, his daughters and his grandchildren, they were his motivation. He hugged George to his chest before putting him in the buggy, and got up to leave.

It was at that moment that he heard a gentle sobbing. He walked away from the duck pond and round the hedge to see a dark haired woman sitting on another bench, hidden by the bushes, crying softly. Never one to be able to ignore a person in distress, Charlie tentatively approached.

"Excuse me, are you all right?"

The woman looked up sharply at the sound of her voice. She was in her late forties, a couple of years younger than him, with a light olive complexion and wide, dark eyes. Hers was a kind and pretty face that Charlie recognised, although he couldn't place it straight away.

"Oh!" she sniffed back tears. "Chief Prosecutor Swan!" When she said his name, Charlie remembered.

"It's Sue, isn't it? You're Billy's assistant? We've met a few times."

"Yes sir, Sue Clearwater."

"Please, call me Charlie. We're not in the office." He pointed to the spot on the bench by her. "May I?"

"Of course." She patted the wood. Charlie duly sat down, parking the twins next to him. They didn't stir.

"So, what's the matter? A beautiful woman shouldn't be crying by herself in a park."

"It's silly really. I feel so stupid but ..." she dissolved into fresh tears. Something about her was very endearing to Charlie and he put his arm around her shoulders. After a minute or two, she calmed down.

"It's not silly if it affects you this much." She looked up at him. "Sometimes it helps to tell someone not involved." When she hesitated further, he added, "I'm a lawyer. If you consider yourself my client, then lawyer-client confidentiality comes into play. I'll take it to my grave."

Sue relaxed a little.

"OK ..."

She told him of her marital difficulties. She and her husband Harry had been married for twenty-six years and had two children, Leah and Seth, who were twenty-four and eighteen. Harry had given up a career in the prison service the year before to open a pub, a long held dream of his. However, getting the business off the ground had taken up all his time, and he was hardly ever at home. When he was, he was preoccupied and irritable. They had placed all their life's savings into the pub, The Stag, and he was worried about it failing.

Meanwhile Leah, Sue's daughter, had gone travelling around the world after graduating and only made contact sporadically. Seth, her son, was her rock, but he was about to go away to university. A talented singer, he had toyed with the idea of a career in music, but after spending time in work experience in the Warwickshire Crown Prosecution Service's offices, he had decided to do a law degree in Nottingham instead.

"I'm just so lonely, Chief ... I mean Charlie. And today's supposed to be my wedding anniversary, and Harry completely forgot! I feel really petty about getting upset about it, but it was just the icing on the cake."

"It's all right to get upset about it. You never know, maybe he'll surprise you when you get home."

"I doubt it!" she scoffed. "He's in the pub tonight until at least midnight."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Sue dried her eyes and looked at George and Gemma in their buggy. George was still asleep but Gemma was awake and entertaining herself with the toys attached to the hood of the buggy. "Who are these little angels?"

"My grandchildren, Gemma and George. My daughter Rosalie is moving house today. The twins and I were getting in her hair so I volunteered to take them to the park."

"I heard about what happened ... the case involving your son-in-law is virtually the only one on Mr Black's desk right now. I'm really sorry."

"Thanks. It was a real a shock, although not as much of a shock as my wife running away with one of my best friends as a result."

"I heard about that too ..."

"Yes, it seems my situation has provided enough gossip to fuel the department for years," Charlie remarked drily. Sue looked sheepish. "Don't worry about bringing it up, now."

"No?"

"I'd rather talk about it with someone sweet like you, than with all the pseudo-sympathetic sycophants at work."

"Thanks. It's been very freeing to talk about my problems with you too."

"Sue, if you ever want to talk again, please do get in touch."

"I'd like that. I have female friends, but they're all so busy and, well ... could we swap mobile numbers?"

"Of course, call me anytime."

"Likewise."

Sue called Charlie the next evening, and they soon started talking every night. Sue came round to Riverview Place for coffee a week later, and coffee turned into dinner. Two nights later, whilst Harry worked, Sue came round again. By the following week, she was coming round to Riverview Place almost every evening and it didn't take long before they admitted to each other their mutual attraction.

At first they agreed not to see each other at all, but within two days they both missed each other so much that they caved, and Sue was round at Riverview Place again, where they gave into their lust. They were under no illusions about the reasons why they had come together so passionately. Charlie missed his wife and Sue missed her husband. They were both lonely. But despite understanding this, they could not seem to give up their affair.

-cc-

August 2005

Billy Black had been trying to put together the case against Royce for over four months. They had confirmation that he had flown from London to Florida, but after that, they had lost him, leading them to suspect that he had gone to Mexico or the Caribbean, over land and sea. The money Royce had stolen from Charlie and his other clients had been dispersed into offshore accounts and then moved on again. Given that the theft ran into millions, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service had called in a civilian, forensic accountant, Mary Matthews, who specialised in financial crimes and securities, to trace the accounts further. They were also working with an Interpol officer, Caius Volterra, to try to trace Royce abroad.

While waiting for the reports to come through, he began tackling his growing list of other cases. His sector had started to fall behind with its process rate. Billy was usually on top of the sector's efficiency, but recently, between the Royce King case and his problems with back pain, he wasn't on top form. He was due to send his figures for the quarter to Charlie, and was desperately worried about the sector losing its good reputation.

One Wednesday towards the end of August, he was in his office late when he heard movement outside his office door. He crept towards the noise, and heard someone picking up the telephone and dialling a number. He stealthily opened his door an inch to see Sue standing over her desk, looking for something in a drawer.

"Hi, sorry, sorry, babe. I forgot my brother's birthday present in my desk drawer and I need to get it into the post tonight ... I've missed you too ... so much ..."

Billy smiled, thinking that it was nice that Sue still had a nice relationship with her husband. His wife Sarah had died fifteen years earlier.

"... no, I'm afraid not, Charlie. I can only stay until ten. Harry knows that my sister's out of town this week so I can't use visiting her as an excuse to stay late ... I know. I wish I could stay longer, but at least we'll have a little time together... OK, I'm on my way to Riverview Place ... bye for now!"

Billy watched as Sue hung up, grabbed a small parcel, shoved it in her handbag and quickly departed.

The next day, while Billy was trying to get his head around the fact that his sensible secretary and his staid, best friend were getting it on, he finally received some developments with regards to Royce King.

"Mr Black," Sue's voice came through over the intercom. "You have an email from Caius Volterra."

"Finally! Please, could you print out the email for me and bring it through?"

The truth was, Billy was a complete technophobe. He detested his computer and could barely navigate it. Sue handled all his emails.

"Of course, just give me two minutes."

Five minutes passed, and Billy was about to get up to find out what had happened to Sue when she came into his office, looking a little pale.

"Sue, are you all right?"

"I'm fine," she whispered before handing over the email. She promptly left again. Billy looked at her retreating form quizzically before looking at the email.

**_To: William Black CROWN PROSECUTION SERVICE_**

**_From: Volterra, Caius INTERPOL_**

**_Subject: Case No: 1123581321 King, Royce Adam_**

_Dear Mr Black_

_I have managed to locate Royce King. He travelled to Florida in April, flying into Miami before travelling across the USA and into Mexico. He spent a month in Cancun before travelling to the Cayman Islands. _

_He left the Cayman Islands in early July under a false passport in the name of Jack Houston and as a result it took us several weeks to track him to Monaco. From there he travelled to Germany and at the beginning of the week, also using his false passport, he travelled to the Channel Islands, namely Jersey. As Jersey is out of the jurisdiction of Interpol, we can investigate no further and suggest you contact the island's police force. _

_I'm sure that I don't need to remind you of Jersey's stringent extradition policy, which differs to that of the mainland United Kingdom. They will not authorise extradition without conclusive evidence of guilt. Suspicions are not enough. I understand that you have the forensic accountant Mary Matthews looking into the case. She's the best and I hope she comes through for you._

_Yours sincerely_

_Caius Volterra_

_Interpol HQ, Lyon, France_

Billy read it over and over again. _Royce is in Jersey? Surely Jacob isn't involved in this? _He realised that Sue must have had the same thought.

"Err... Sue?" He called her through the intercom. There was no answer. He stepped outside to see her desk empty, but just as he was about to venture into the main office she walked back in.

"Hey, are you all right?" she asked, although she didn't look it herself.

"Um, Caius Volterra threw up some interesting information." He noticed that she was carrying a wad of paper in her hand. "What's that?"

"While you were reading Mr Volterra's email, Mary Matthews phoned. She sent a fax report through but she wanted to make sure that nobody else saw it but you and me."

Sue's tone made it clear to Billy that she had read the report and that it wasn't good news.

"Bring it through."

Sue followed him back into his office, passed him the report as she sat down in the chair opposite his desk.

Billy slowly grew more and more horrified as he read Mary Matthews' report.

_...Royce King appears to have been making numerous high-risk investments for two years…_

_...started siphoning money from his father-in-law's account in November 2004..._

_...quickly moved on to taking larger and larger amounts from his father-in-law and then from his other clients..._

_...moved money quickly through his UK accounts and into his account in the tax haven of Jersey, and also into the account of one Jacob Ephraim Black, who appears to be a close friend of his..._

_...money was then dispersed into numerous offshore accounts, mainly in the Middle East and the Cayman Islands..._

_...He and Jacob Black have been making profitable investments since his departure from the UK..._

_...he has returned to Jersey recently ... he and Jacob Black have illegally acquired assets to the tune of ten million pounds sterling each..._

_...did some digging into Jacob Black's background and it has transpired that he is your son..._

_...As I am a civilian contracted by the Crown Prosecution Service, I am under no obligation to report these findings to anybody but you as per the contract I signed, and therefore I will not inform the police or any other authorities. To do so is your responsibility and your duty, and I implore you to do the right thing._

_Yours sincerely_

_Mary S Matthews_

Seeing that her boss was in shock, Sue got up and poured him a glass of water.

"Here."

"Thanks." Billy gulped it down. "Fuck."

"I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"I know but I'm still sorry."

Billy couldn't quite believe it.

_Not my son. _

_Not my son!_

Jacob had always been the apple of Billy's eye. He had twin daughters, Rachel and Rebecca, who were two years older, and he loved them, but Jacob was the son he always wanted, and from the beginning, they were very close. Fishing trips, camping, football, rugby ... all Billy's favourite things were Jacob's favourite things.

Billy always wanted Jacob to have the best in life. That included the best education, and even though it broke his heart a little, he made the decision to send his boy to boarding school in Gordonstoun. Jacob came back well groomed, well educated and well connected, but without any sense of responsibility or purpose. He started out in medical school, but decided that he didn't like dealing with sick people. He then trained to be an architect but couldn't cope with the discipline and the long hours when he was doing his training contract in Newcastle. He had been working in financial services on Jersey, but Billy could tell that he was becoming disillusioned with that too.

Still, Jacob was his son, and even though it looked like he had done wrong, Billy would do whatever it took to keep him out of trouble.

"We're the only two people who know about these reports, right?"

"Right, but..."

"So I don't care what he's done, Sue, he's my only son."

"He's been involved in the biggest fraud case this department's seen for five years! Billy, he might be your son but he's committed a crime against your best friend!"

"He's made mistakes and I intend to talk to him about it but..."

"Talk to him about it? Like he forgot to take the rubbish out or threw a ball through your neighbour's window? Billy, you have to tell the police! Move the case to another prosecutor!"

"No!"

"Well then I'm going to!" Sue got up.

"Sue! Don't!" Billy got up too and before she reached the door, yelled, "I know about you and Charlie!"

She stopped and turned around.

"W-what?"

"I know about your affair with Charlie Swan. And if you tell anyone about Jacob being involved in Royce's fraud, I will tell Harry and your kids."

"Y-you wouldn't."

"I would. Charlie will get over losing his money, but Jacob's whole future is dead in the water if he gets convicted. He'll go to prison for at least seven years, and then he'll never be able to get a job!"

Sue began to cry.

"You can't tell my family! I can't hurt them like that!"

"So we're agreed. You don't tell anybody about Jacob and Royce, and I don't tell anyone about your indiscretion. I'm going to bury this case, and you're going to help me. And you'll start by breaking things off with Charlie. You can't stay involved with him. You'll give something away. Not to mention the fact that you're married."

Tearfully, Sue nodded.

"Okay, but after I help you, you get me promoted to a different department."

"Done." Billy then proceeded to rip Mary Matthews' report into tiny pieces.

-cc-

"What do you mean, hopeless?!" shrieked Rosalie later that evening at Riverview Place. "Billy, you said that it would just be a matter of tracking Royce down and looking into his account activity!"

"Rosalie, Charlie, I'm sorry. We've had a forensic accountant on the case who states that he's done so many complicated transactions into offshore accounts that it's near impossible to trace. The likelihood is that he's moved the money on again. And as for the man himself, Interpol traced him to America but they think that he's gotten himself a false passport and changed his appearance. They're keeping an eye out but they can't devote the resources to a full manhunt anymore."

"So, what are we supposed to do now?" Rosalie cried. Bella put her arm around her sister's shoulder to comfort her. "How am I supposed to care for two babies and maintain an income? It's bad enough I've had to move into that tiny shithole of a house!"

"Rosalie, you and the babies could move in here," suggested Charlie.

"Dad, that's not going to work. You work, like, a hundred hours a week, so you'd never be able to help with childcare. As it is your salary's going to get swallowed up by the mortgage and your tax bill and everything else, without having to worry about having to feed me and the kids. Besides, I'm twenty-seven. I need to be independent."

"I guess..."

Bella had been her quiet self during the discussion, trying to come to terms with the devastating news. _How can I go all the way to Scotland when my family needs me? _

"Although how I'm going to get a job, I don't know. I haven't worked in years, not since I was in university ... and even if I do, how am I going to afford a nursery to look after the twins?"

Bella's sense of family duty shot through her once again.

"Rosie, we'll work something out between the three of us."

"How, Bellsie? Besides, you're going away to Scotland in a month and it'll just be me and Dad then."

"I'm not going to St Andrews. I couldn't possibly be so far away when you and Dad are going through all this."

"Isabella, no, you had your heart set on that course. You are going. Rosalie and I will be fine."

"Dad, it's not your decision, it's mine, and I'm staying. Rosalie, I'll move in with you. I'll get a job and so will you. I'll look after the babies whilst you're at work and vice versa."

Rosalie wiped away her tears and stood up.

"Bella, could we speak outside for a minute?"

"Of course, excuse us please." Bella followed her sister out of the room and into the kitchen.

"Bella, I don't understand why you're doing this."

"You need me," replied Bella simply.

"But why? I caused you such intolerable pain when I ruined things for you with Edward. I made you go out with idiot after idiot and just made you feel even worse ..." Rosalie started to cry again. "I've been such a bad sister. Why are you being so good to me? I'm so sorr..."

"Rosalie, stop. You've apologised enough. I'm doing this because you are my sister and I love you. My whole life, you've looked after and protected me. And that's what you thought you were doing when you ratted out my plans to Mum and Dad. Part of it was my fault. Perhaps if I'd told you about Edward you'd have understood the depths of my love for him ... I have so many regrets but if I go to Scotland now, I'll only add to them."

"But what about your course? I can't ask you to turn your back on your dream."

"You aren't asking, I'm offering. Think about it, Rosie. Full time childcare in Stratford for two children would eat up all your salary. If we don't do it this way, you're going to have to go on the dole."

Rosalie shuddered.

"No! There must be another way, other than accepting government handouts?"

"If you sit down and work out the figures, I assure you that the only options are that, or to let me move in with you."

There was a moment of silence as Rosalie absorbed the fact that of all her options, Bella's was the one that gave her the most autonomy and dignity.

"Where are you going to get a job?"

"I have a couple of ideas."

Half an hour later, Bella walked into The Stag. It had had a lick of paint since the last time she'd been there, when she worked as a barmaid the summer before going to Durham, but otherwise it looked the same. Being mid-afternoon, the place was quiet.

"Excuse me?" she asked the grey-haired, middle-aged man behind the bar. He looked up. "Please could I speak to Josh?"

"Sorry little lady. I'm Harry Clearwater. I bought this place off Josh about eighteen months ago. He's probably fishing down the river."

"Oh right." Bella sat down on one of the bar stools.

"What's the matter?"

"I was hoping he might be able to give me a job. I used to work here a few years ago." She looked up. "I don't suppose you're hiring?"

"Maybe in a month or two when my son goes to university, but we're covered for now."

"Right, thank you. Sorry to have bothered you." Bella got up and made a move to leave. As she did, the back door of the pub, which led to the office and the cellar, opened with a bang.

"Hey Dad, the Kingmaker's all changed up ... Bella?"

Bella turned round at the sound of her name being called, to see a tall, teenage boy of around eighteen, with a mop of dark, curly hair, in front of her, grinning.

"Yes?"

"It is you! Wow! I'm sure you don't remember me, I'm Seth. Seth Clearwater? You and your boyfriend helped me out of a jam at a music competition in Leamington a few years ago."

Seth was taller and broader, but when he grinned at her, she remembered him instantly.

"Of course! Wow, you sure have shot up. Still singing?"

"Yes, but just for fun. I'm off to university in September- I'm going to be a lawyer one day."

"Oh, that's brilliant. Well done, you."

"So what brings you here in the middle of the day? You okay?"

"Well, I'm on the hunt for a job and I used to work here, so I was kind of hoping ... but never mind ..."

"Wait!" Seth turned to his father. "Dad, surely we can find Bella a few shifts? And when I'm off to uni, you can take mine."

"I don't know ..."

"Dad, come on."

Harry looked at the pretty, young woman and at his son's imploring face. Seth had a great talent for reading people. If he didn't like someone, they usually turned out to be scum. But if he liked them, then 99% of the time, they were angels.

"I tell you what, pull me a decent pint and I'll agree to a trial run."

Five minutes and one perfectly, pulled pint of bitter later, and Bella had a job, although she hoped it would be temporary.

-cc-

* * *

**AN: I'm back to my regular posting schedule, I think. The next update will be in a week's time, next Sunday. **


	26. Chapter 26

**Hi everyone. Thank you so much for your reviews and comments on Facebook. I've had a crazy week in Eastern and Northern Europe for work, so I'm exhausted, but I have managed to get my act together to post this. **

**Huge thanks to my pre-reader and beta SunflowerFran who removes my superfluous exclamation marks, sorts out my ellipses and just makes my text flow better. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Early October 2012

Three weeks had passed since Bella's birthday, and she was still only barely speaking to Rosalie and Charlie. Their day-to-day routine was essentially the same, and both sisters went out of their way to make sure that the twins did not realise that anything was amiss.

Despite his younger daughter's silent treatment, Charlie had set up a meeting with Colin Kennedy, who promised to take on the case and liaise with his colleagues in London's Metropolitan Force. He obtained Jessica's medical records, and she had agreed to further tests of her hair and urine, so they had further proof of the amount of GHB she was given.

They had got in touch with the 100 Club who had provided their CCTV footage from the night of the showcase. It showed that Jacob was there and that he had spoken to Jessica early in the night in the break before Bree Tanner went on stage, but the cameras didn't cover the entire length of the bar and there was no footage of him talking to her later or buying her a drink. Bella and Jessica were disappointed, but Colin promised to keep the case active, and to liaise with Jersey Police to see whether Jacob could be linked to any similar incidents there.

Meanwhile, Edward was still trying to get over Emmett's non-disclosure of Bella turning up on 9/11, and, therefore, was still not speaking to him, although it wasn't for want of Emmett trying. Edward found it hard to look at Rosalie the same way after finding out her part in ruining the best thing that ever happened to him, and had maintained his distance even more than usual. Part of him wanted to yell and scream at her, but he restrained himself. He knew that Bella loved her sister, even though she was still angry with her, and eventually the two would make up because Bella was so compassionate and kind hearted that she could never hold a grudge. In time, he wanted to be accepted by Bella's family as Bella's partner, and fighting with Rosalie wouldn't help to ingratiate himself into the fold.

Edward and Bella both had extremely busy schedules, which made it easier for them to take things slowly and get to know one another again, although both found it increasingly difficult to part at the end of the day. Everyone at the studio had noticed that they were getting on better, and a few of the staff members had started to speculate about a relationship between the two of them. Only Alice, Jasper, and Rosalie knew for certain that they were together again.

"I wish I didn't have to go to London this weekend, love," moaned Edward in his office. Bella came up behind him and placed her hands on his shoulders. He tilted his head back and nestled it against her cleavage. She giggled and leaned over to kiss him before massaging his neck and the back of his head.

"Me too, I was hoping you'd come with me to Angela's birthday party tonight. She would have loved you to come."

"It would have been great to catch up with her and meet her husband."

"Yeah, Ben is great, but you'll meet them another time. Besides, you can't turn down a request from Def Jam Records_, _I mean, it's Rihanna!"

"Actually, I've met her before. She's sweet. A bit crazy when she drinks."

"Wow. Is she as pretty in real life?"

Edward spun round in his desk chair and grabbed Bella around her waist so that she hovered over his lap.

"Now, Bella love, I couldn't possibly answer that because you consume every waking thought and emotion I have. All the other women in the world have become faceless, sexless androids to me now that I know that you still want me."

"Good answer." She brushed her lips over his. He tangled his fingers into her hair with one hand and nudged her to sit on his lap with the other before allowing himself the indulgence of a long, slow, sexy kiss and a feel of her pert bottom.

Bella's response was to anchor her hands in his hair and pull and tug and groan, which just got him even more aroused. Bella felt him harden underneath her and could not stop herself from slipping one hand from his hair, moving it between them in order to rub his hard package. Edward broke off their kiss suddenly and opened his eyes. Bella's dark brown orbs greeted him, huge with desire. Part of her was telling her to rein herself in; another was moving purely on instinct, being driven only by an intrinsic memory of the pleasure to be derived from the body of the astounding man beneath her.

She pressed against his cock once more, at the same time as someone knocked loudly on Edward's office door, startling them both.

"Jesus Christ!" He jerked backwards, causing the chair, himself and Bella to topple backwards. "Shit! Oww!"

They both then collapsed into a fit of giggles, Bella lying on top of Edward on the floor, her hand still over his cock, the chair upturned beside them.

"Edward?" It was Jasper. He rattled the door handle. "Hey, why's your door locked? Edward?"

"Just give me a minute!"

"So, I guess I made the earth move for you, huh?" Bella joked as she sat up and removed her hand.

"The earth, the moon, the stars, the sun ...!"

"Seriously, are you all right man? I heard a bang!"

"I'm fine Jazz!" he yelled back.

"I guess we'd better get back to work," Bella sighed. Edward pouted. "Don't do the pouty thing! I can't resist the pouty thing!"

"Bella, what have l told you about resisting?" He sat up and pulled her into his arms.

"Don't resist." They both chuckled at the irony. All they had seemed to do in the past few weeks was resist.

"Edward, what are you doing in there?" Jasper knocked again. "We've got loads to do before you leave, man!"

They both got to their feet.

"Come find me before you leave for London, OK?"

"Of course, love, of course!"

"Shall I let him in?" Bella asked, smoothing her hair down and tying it into a ponytail.

"I suppose so."

Bella kissed him briefly before letting Jasper in, on her way out. He gave her a knowing look, and when he took in Edward's blatant sex hair, he gave his friend a long, slow stream of applause.

-cc-

Emmett's Friday afternoon, was in contrast to Edward's, dragging slowly. Since Rosalie's lie to Bella had been exposed, they had agreed not to see each other at all, and it was killing him. He missed her acutely. He had considered dropping round to The Elizabeth Studios to see both her and Edward, but had decided that it was asking for trouble. He knew that he would struggle to not to show his feelings for her in public; he had always been the sort of person who wore his heart on his sleeve.

His assistant Kim interrupted him on his desk phone.

_"Hi Emmett, Seth Clearwater is here, and he's asking for five minutes of your time."_

"That's fine, send him in."

Seth's cheerful face appeared round the door a moment later.

"Sorry to bother you, but I wanted to show you something."

"Sure Seth. What have you got for me?"

Seth came striding into the office and placed himself in a chair. He was Emmett's most junior prosecutor, at just twenty-six, but undoubtedly one of his brightest. His enthusiasm for the law, his inherent goodness and warm spirit made him a favourite amongst his colleagues, too.

"So, did you know, boss, that the CPS has an offsite file storage facility?"

"No, since when?"

"For about ten years. I didn't either until I got chatting to my mum."

"Your mum?"

"Yeah, she works as an administrator in the family court, but a few years ago she worked around here. I mentioned that I was working a big, fraud cold case that was missing some evidence, and she told me that a lot of files from around that time got moved to this storage place near Worcester."

"So you took a trip out there?"

"Exactly, and I found some intriguing stuff." He excitedly handed Emmett the email printout from Interpol.

"This is great Seth, but it doesn't conclusively state that Royce King was guilty nor does it mention any evidence to suggest that he was. It merely states Royce King's movements and the use of a false passport. We already know from the case summary that he's in Jersey."

"True, but it mentions a forensic accountant named Mary Matthews. I Googled her, and according to her firm's website she retired a few years ago and has moved abroad."

"And you want to track her down and interview her?"

"Ideally, but I'm aware that the department budget is tight with the number of cases that we've got, and that you wouldn't want to waste too much money on chasing a witness across the world who may end up being very little help."

"No, I'm afraid not," Emmett agreed. "But I get the impression that you have another idea up your sleeve."

"That I do, boss!"

"Explain, please."

"Well, firstly, I'd like to least try to contact her and see if she can remember anything. If she does, or if she has evidence that we could use, then we can talk about interviewing her. But in the meantime, the idea of a forensic accountant got me thinking."

"Go on."

"Rosalie King kept all the financial statements, as did her father. Since the case has remained active on the database, the Jersey Police, on our behalf, have a valid warrant to access Royce King's accounts, both then and now, under the false name Jersey Police believe he is using. We just need to hire a new forensic accountant. There's a firm in Stratford-upon-Avon that does this type of work. A friendly acquaintance of mine works there."

"Yeah? What's his name?"

"Ben Cheney. Central Birmingham CPS hired him last year for a drug and money laundering investigation. Did a great job."

"Great. Ask him to do it."

"Oh he wouldn't do the report himself, but he would know trustworthy people who could."

"Why wouldn't he do the report himself?"

"His wife is Bella Swan's best friend. It's too close a link for him to be considered an impartial witness."

"Fine. Ask one of the paralegals to search for Mary Matthews and get this Ben Cheney to recommend a colleague to see to the accounts."

"OK, boss."

"Oh, and Seth?" He turned round. "Good work."

-cc-

"Edward, you've got to go, Mike's waiting to take you to the station!" They were in Bella's office on this occasion, and Edward had told Mike he was nipping to his office for just a moment to get something. That was five minutes earlier, but instead went to say a second goodbye to Bella.

"I don't want to go," he grumbled. "I want to stay here and get drunk with you!"

"You're going to be back in a week, and we're going to talk every day, and email, and Skype."

"It's not the same." He cupped her face and brought his forehead to hers. "I'm going to miss you, so much. It's been magic, the past few weeks," he murmured.

"Oh Edward, I couldn't agree more." Bella's eyes filled with hot tears that she wiped away hastily. "Sorry, I'm such a sap."

"After so many years thinking you didn't want me, it's very reassuring to feel that you're going to miss me as much as I'm going to miss you." He kissed her forehead, her nose and her wet cheeks before kissing her soft mouth and letting her go.

After Edward left, Bella lingered in her office for a while, finishing off some paperwork to send to her new literary agent, Garrett Daniels of Daniels and Daniels, who was one of the country's best literary agencies. Siobhan Macdonald had shown him Bella's blog after meeting her at the showcase in London, and as soon as she told her new contact that she had ditched Tyler, Siobhan had put her in touch with Garrett. He and Siobhan had gone to Cambridge together; his wife Kate, with whom he set up his business, had been her roommate.

Garrett had encouraged her to edit her first manuscript _The Nadir and the Zenith _to make it shorter and snappier,and to complete a book version of _Arden's Delights_ with an ending that would lend itself to a book series. She had sent them to him the previous day, and was now waiting anxiously for his opinion.

As she was getting ready to leave, her phone beeped with a text message. She grinned and picked up her phone, thinking it would be Edward.

**_Hey Bells, am in town. Hv dinner wt me. Jacob xoox_**

Bella's grin dropped. Despite saying that he would call or text her when he and the Hunters left the Elizabeth Studios three weeks earlier, she hadn't heard from him and had hoped that he had moved his interest to someone else. She decided not to text him. A minute later her phone beeped again.

**_Cmon, babe. Dont play hard 2 get. J xoox_**

She felt irritation rise through her. Before she could think of replying, he texted again.

**_I 4got how hot u r. we cud b gr8 2getha. Give us a chance J xoox_**

Annoyed not only with his prolific texting, but also with his use of textspeak, which she detested, Bella picked up the phone and texted him back.

**_As I said when you asked me out last time, I can't make it this weekend because I have plans, and I'm not interested in rekindling our past dalliance._**

He texted back seconds later.

**_Ur bestie bday this wknd, rite? Where u goin? Ill mt up wt u. J xoox_**

Bella nearly threw her phone across the desk.

**_I don't know yet. Besides, it's a closed party._**

She picked up her things and headed home to get ready for Angela's birthday party, ignoring any more texts from Jacob.

When she got home, it was to the sound of the TV playing _Peppa Pig_ and the smell of cream of tomato soup. She was accosted by George.

"Auntie Bella, Auntie Bella! Gemma's sick!"

"Oh?" Bella peered into the living room where a pale Gemma was half-asleep on the sofa draped in her favourite, purple striped blankie, her soup bowl untouched next to her. She went to her niece's side.

"Gemma, sweetie?"

"Mmm ..." Gemma turned over, coughed and closed her eyes. Bella turned to George. "Georgie, where's Mummy?"

The sound of Rosalie's swift footsteps on the stairs answered her question.

"It's okay, baby, I've got the medicine ... Bella!" Rosalie looked stressed and was carrying a bottle of Calpol and a cold flannel.

"Hey. What's going on?"

"When I picked them up from school, Gemma was trembling and coughing. She's been feeling sick since lunchtime but she didn't tell the teacher because she didn't want to worry anybody, bless her little heart."

"She looks really ill."

"I'm hoping some Calpol and fluids will bring her temperature down, but if she doesn't perk up in the next couple of hours I'll call the doctor."

"I'm supposed to be going out for Angela's birthday but do you want me to stop in?"

"No, go. If there's a problem, I'll call you."

"Are you sure?" Even though Bella was still angry with Rosalie, she would never leave if she needed her.

"Yep. Give Ang a hug from me."

-cc-

Bella met up with Angela, Ben and a few of Angela's other friends a short while later in the Thai restaurant on the banks of the Avon, where she managed to relax and enjoy the meal. Jacob had texted a few more times and she had ignored them, piquing Angela's interest.

"What's going on, Bella?"

"Nothing. It's just someone who won't take a hint."

"It's not Edward though."

"No! There's no way I'd ignore a text from him! He should be just getting into his apartment now."

"Do you think the next time he goes to meet international superstars he might take us along too?" Angela joked.

"Ha, you can certainly ask!" Bella replied. "Oh, I forgot. He got you this." She pulled out a birthday card in a gold envelope.

"How sweet! I'll open it tomorrow." Angela took the card and put it in her handbag. "So why don't you put your phone on silent if those texts are annoying you?"

"I would, but Gemma's really sick. It looks like she's got the flu or some sort of chest infection and I don't want to turn the sound down in case Rosalie needs me. So if I dash off all of a sudden, that's why." Bella's tone was apologetic.

"Don't worry about it. You do what you need to do for your family." Angela paused to take a bite of her spicy prawn and noodle salad. "Speaking of family," she dropped her voice, "Ben and I are going to start trying for a baby in the New Year."

"Oh, Ang, that's great news!"

"Well, it's probably about time, right? We've been married five years, and we have the house. Our employment and finances are pretty secure, especially now that Ben's been made partner. The firm is doing more forensic contracts, and that means a much steadier income for us."

"I'm so happy for you. You're going to be a great mum!"

"Thanks, Bells." She picked up her wine glass. "But I'm not a mum yet, so let's get this party going!"

The rest of the meal went very well, with the waitresses singing Angela 'Happy Birthday', clapping and dancing among the tables.

"So where next, Ang?" asked Bella as they left the restaurant to head into town.

"We're going to do a mini-pub crawl in the direction of our house. That's four pubs, ending with The Stag. I dropped in earlier in the week and Harry hinted that if the place wasn't too busy at last orders, he may do me a birthday lock-in!" Angela clapped her hands in glee.

"He has a real soft spot for you. I think it's because you look a bit like his wife, Sue."

"He does not!"

"Does too!"

"Who does what?" interrupted Ben, stepping between his wife and her best friend and draping his arms over their shoulders as they walked.

"Bella thinks that Harry from The Stag has a soft spot for me!"

"Oh, he so does!"

"Ben!"

"None of the rest of us score drinks on the house from him. Sammy, back me up on this!"

The friendly banter continued amongst the group through the first three pubs, and by the time they got to The Stag at around 11pm, they were all pleasantly merry from the drinking. It was odd for Bella to enter the pub as a customer rather than an employee, and several of the locals welcomed her warmly.

The Stag had a reputation for being a bit of a rough place to drink, and the clientele were loud and rather boorish, but therein lay its charm. Tourists or day-trippers who stopped by were treated to a proper Warwickshire pub experience. When Harry had taken over the place, eight years earlier, he had initially planned to gentrify it and clean it up, but he quickly realised that he would lose business by making it look like the other pubs in town, and instead, just gave the outside a new lick of paint and fixed up the broken chairs, endearing himself to the regulars. When he added in Quiz Night, Darts Night and Pool Night, business went up by 50%.

"Bella!" yelled a familiar voice from the bar.

"Seth!" Bella leaned over the bar to greet her old friend with a hug. "What are you doing behind the bar? You're a hotshot lawyer now!"

"Dad needed a hand, and it's a good thing I could help out judging by the rabble that's here tonight, your gang included!"

"What happened to my replacement?"

"She lasted three weeks before deciding that changing kegs was too stressful!"

"And how's work?"

"Great!" He looked away momentarily and Bella knew the exact reason why.

"Seth, I know you're working for the Crown Prosecution Service Fraud Team and I know which case you're working on. Rosalie told me you came to interview her. Don't worry. I'm not going to ask you about it."

"Phew. Thanks Bells. I thought things were gonna get awkward there. I'm really not allowed to talk about developments."

"I know."

Bella chatted to Seth for a little while longer and was about to return to Angela and the group when her phone rang.

_Rosalie_

The crowd behind her had gotten louder and Bella could barely hear herself speak.

"Seth, please can I take this call in the back? I can't hear anything out here and it's important."

"Sure. Door code's still the same."

Bella thanked him and hurried to the back office, before answering the call. Rosalie was in tears because Gemma hadn't gotten better, in fact she had become more unwell. She could barely make out her sister's words, but got the gist. Gemma needed to go to the Emergency Department, immediately. On hearing the news, Bella left immediately through the back entrance of the pub, texting Angela her apologies.

Bella rushed home as quickly as she could. When she got there, Esme's newly acquired, family-friendly, silver BMW X5 was parked just outside. She hurried inside to find Esme on the sofa; a sleeping George was curled up next to her.

"Esme, thank you for staying with George. What happened? I couldn't really make much sense from Rosalie. She sounded so upset."

"She rang me when she couldn't get a doctor to come out for a couple of hours. We nipped round and it was clear that Gemma had picked up a particularly nasty strain of influenza that's doing the rounds. She was getting very dehydrated and not eating, so I had Carlisle drive them to the hospital."

"Oh, the poor thing! Gemma's the 'suffer in silence' type. She's probably been feeling unwell for a couple of days."

"I expect so. This strain seems to be hitting primary school kids and it's come earlier than the annual flu vaccine campaign. I've seen about a hundred kids with it in the past two weeks."

"Do you think she'll be in hospital long?"

"No, I think that she'll just need some intravenous fluids overnight and observation. Hopefully she'll be home in a couple of days."

"I shouldn't have gone out tonight, but Rosalie told me to, and..."

"Bella, even if you'd stayed in, nothing would have happened differently. Well, I wouldn't have had half an hour on your sofa, and I don't begrudge that at all."

"I know you don't. Thank you so much for being here for us Esme. I'm so glad to have you in our lives."

"Right back at you, Bella." The two women hugged warmly. George stirred slightly.

"I'd better get him into bed."

"It's my bedtime too. This baby-carrying thing is tiring!"

"Safe journey home," Bella said, as she showed her dear friend to the door.

Once Bella had put George to bed, she showered and changed into her pyjamas. Rather than sleep downstairs in her basement, she curled up in Rosalie's bed, something she sometimes did when she was looking after the kids overnight, not that it was a common occurrence. Once settled, she picked up her phone to look at her text messages. There were ten from Jacob, all fairly similar to the ones from earlier.

She ignored them all.

There was a text from Edward.

**_In bed already. Got to be at studios to meet Rihanna & co at 8am! Miss you. Miss you. Miss you. Hope you & Ang having good time. Tell Gem to get well soon. Love E xxx_**

Bella smiled and was about to text him back when her phone beeped with two texts from Rosalie in quick succession.

**_Gem getting fluids. About to go to kids' ward. Love you sis. Kiss Georgie for me R x _**

**_OMG! Just saw Angela be brought in by ambulance with v. worried Ben! WTF! R x_**

-cc-

It was Sunday morning, and Bella was at the hospital collecting Gemma and Rosalie. Gemma was almost back to her usual self after twenty-four hours of intravenous fluids. Rosalie looked utterly worn out, however, having spent two nights in the hospital.

"Thank you for picking us up. Have you heard how Angela's doing?"

"She's better, according to Ben. I'm going to see her after I drop you off," replied Bella.

They drove home in relative silence, although it was less awkward than in the previous few weeks. The hurt Bella felt at Rosalie's talk with Edward, followed by being lied to by her sister and her father had mostly abated, although the atmosphere was definitely not back to normal. One part of her mind had rationalised that Rosalie and her father would never keep something from her unless it was important. However, she was still frustrated with them for making her feel left out.

Bella hadn't been able to get to see Angela sooner, because when George woke on Saturday, he was distraught when he realised that his twin was gone, and Bella had to stay with him. So, after dropping Gemma and Rosalie off at home, Bella drove over to Angela and Ben's house. Angela had only been in hospital a few hours on Friday night, and had been home the next morning with 'the worst hangover of my life, and then some', as she told Bella in her text.

Bella knocked on the door and was greeted by Angela, looking her usual, cheery self, dressed in yoga pants and Ben's Warwickshire cricket team jersey.

"Hey Bells."

"Oh, Ang, thank God you're OK! What happened? You were only a little tipsy when I left, and less than an hour later you were in the hospital. What did you drink after I left?"

"I only had a G+T, I think. It's all a bit fuzzy. Ben said that I got really hyperactive and giggly, and then suddenly collapsed."

"What exactly do you remember?"

"I got your text saying that you were going and that's the last thing I remember until waking up in A+E yesterday morning."

Bella hugged herself on the sofa. Her mind was whirling.

"Bella, are you okay?"

"I just have a really bad sense of déjà vu. It sounds similar to when my cousin Jessica collapsed in London. She was drunk, but fine, and then all of a sudden she was giggling and trying to scale a lamppost, and then she was collapsed on the floor barely breathing."

"I remember you telling us about this. Drugs were found in her system, weren't they?"

"Yeah, something called GHB. We wondered whether Jessica's drink was spiked but she didn't want to pursue it," Bella told her. "Can you remember anyone possibly tampering with your drink?"

"No." Angela shook her head. "Ben mentioned that some guy tried to hit on me, but I can't remember a damn thing."

"Where is Ben, by the way?"

"I made him go visit his mum and go to the supermarket. I love him dearly but he was driving me crazy with his fussing, and I honestly feel fine now."

"Really?"

"Really. Now, how about some tea and toast?"

"Yes please."

"Fab! I'll go make it. You pick some trash TV for us to watch."

While Angela disappeared into the kitchen to make their breakfast, Bella found an old rerun of Frasier on TV, and then checked her phone, hoping for a message from Edward. He was up early, working with Rihanna and her team, producing two tracks for her album and a dance remix of her latest single.

**_Good morning love! Hope you're OK. Someone else wants to say hello! Send me a picture of yourself, please! I need to see your face! _****E xxx**

Bella scrolled down the text message and gasped. It was a picture of Edward with a fresh-faced Rihanna holding a piece of paper saying 'Hi, Bella!'

She took a photo of herself and sent it back to Edward along with a short reply. He pinged a message back immediately.

**_God, you look so beautiful, and Rihanna agrees! She says hi to Angela too. I miss you! I'll call you later. E xxx_**

Bella couldn't help but smile and feel instantly comforted just by a couple of text messages from Edward, but inside she still felt rather unsettled, the sensation of déjà vu washing over her, again and again.

-cc-

**The next chapter will go up next Sunday. **

**I will be contributing an outtake from ****_Fortune Favours the Bold _****to Fandom 4 Oklahoma; it's currently in SunflowerFran's capable hands! **


	27. Chapter 27

**AN: Hi everyone and thank you once again for all your reviews and support. It's been a very busy, very difficult week and they made me feel better! Lots of ideas as to what happened to Angela- we'll found out in a couple of chapters what actually went down.**

**Massive thank you to my lovely pre-reader and beta SunflowerFran for her work on this chapter. It's a long one! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's Persuasion. I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. Song lyrics in this chapter are borrowed from ****_Jealousy _****by Will Young (although the tune in my head for the song in the story is darker). This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

**Chapter Twenty-Seven**

Late October 2012

So many things had changed in Bella's life.

She was firmly re-established in a relationship with Edward, although they were still taking things slowly. They were being discreet and still hadn't openly acknowledged that they were together, although the changes in the two of them were obvious. Edward was calmer, happier and less pedantic. Bella was more outgoing, more forthcoming with her opinions, and the air of sadness, which previously surrounded her, was gone.

Bella had fallen in love with Edward the man, even harder than she'd fallen for Edward the boy, despite all the challenges. Edward could no longer comprehend how he had tolerated or touched any other woman; there was nobody as perfect for him as Bella, and he could no longer see his future without her in it. In contrast to their relationship at eighteen, he made a huge effort to get to know all aspects of her life. He helped her look after the twins. He got to know Angela again and got on well with Ben, who he now realised, was the man he'd seen Bella greet on the train platform several months earlier. Angela was determined to put the unpleasant experience of her hospital admission behind her and didn't want to talk about it at all; as a result Bella was unable to discuss the details of the night with her or Ben, and eventually stopped pondering the feeling of deja vu she had felt.

There were only two clouds in the sunny sky of Bella's life.

The first was her frustration with Rosalie and Charlie. Both were going out of their way to get back into her good graces, and she was mollified, but still felt that they missed the fundamental point; she just wanted them to see her as an equal rather than someone who needed to be protected or cosseted. The second cloud was that Colin Kennedy hadn't made any progress in investigating Jacob; his record was clean as a whistle, and he had never been implicated in any rape or drugging cases before. He reassured them that he would keep investigating, but it still made Bella feel vulnerable, violated and angry, especially because she knew that her path would cross with Jacob again, soon.

The week before Halloween, Bella's agent Garrett, sent her an extremely important email, one she had been hoping for ever since she had finished editing her two manuscripts.

**_To: Isabella Swan (AJE RECORDS)_**

**_From: Garrett Daniels (DANIELS & DANIELS AGENCY)_**

**_Subject: Fwd: Bella Swan's manuscripts_**

**_Priority: High_**

_Hi Bella,_

_Check out this email below from Siobhan and let me know your thoughts ASAP._

_Garrett_

_To: Garrett Daniels (DANIELS & DANIELS AGENCY)_

_From: Siobhan Macdonald (ATOMIC PUBLISHING CO.)_

_CC: Margaret Mulroney (ATOMIC PUBLISHING CO.)_

_Hey Gar,_

_We've had a fantastic couple of weeks in the office reading Bella's manuscripts. The novel version of _Arden's Delights_ is exquisite and still leaves scope for sequels/serialisation. As for her first manuscript, _The Nadir and the Zenith, _it is out of this world. Her blend of historical settings and contemporary writing style is so on point it's unreal. This kind of writing is unquestionably 'in' right now, but I can understand why, a couple of years ago, she might have struggled to get a publisher willing to take a chance. She is clearly ahead of her time!_

_To that end, I'd like to invite you and Bella to a meeting in our London offices on Friday 2__nd__ November at 1.30pm with my colleague Maggie Mulroney, who leads our historical fiction department, as well as a colleague from our editing department. I'm going to attend as well, unless you'd prefer me not to be there. _

_Please feel free to forward this email to Bella (I've not emailed her directly as the company want to do things formally from here on in, so we'll be communicating via you until a deal has been reached) and please confirm ASAP. _

_Look forward to hearing from you,_

_Siobhan_

Bella stared at the screen for nearly two minutes before squealing into her hands. Her first instinct was to call Edward, but he was in the recording studio with an artist, so she texted him. She was about to get up and get herself an espresso to celebrate, when Alice came bouncing into her office.

"OMG, OMG! You're gonna get published! I just got off the phone with Siobhan and she could not shut up about how talented she thinks you are! It's so exciting!"

"Wow, I can't believe it!" Bella exclaimed, but then her face fell. "But what about AJE and my lyrical work here?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Bella, this is your dream. You need to pursue it!"

The door opened at that moment, and Edward popped his head in.

"Bella, love, I just got your text and that's such exciting news. I'm so proud of you!" Ignoring the presence of Alice in the room, Bella rushed into his arms, wrapping them around his neck. He lifted her off the ground and held her even more tightly. "You deserve this."

The familiar pull to him tugged and tugged. It was getting harder to leave Edward at the end of the working day, or at the end of their dates. Their physical relationship had progressed, a little, but their emotional connection was growing stronger every minute of every day. Taking the time to get fully reacquainted with each other had been absolutely the right decision, for their hearts and minds had become entwined once again, even faster than before.

Caught up in their embrace, Edward and Bella were drawn toward each other's mouths, but milliseconds before their lips touched, Bella glanced over at Alice who was smirking at them both. She felt her cheeks go red.

"Um, Alice, please could we have a little, um, privacy?" She asked hesitantly.

"Of course." She got up and left the room, but not before telling them in a sing-song voice, "be good, have fun!"

After Alice had left them alone, they turned towards each other.

"Damn, I think the moment's gone," Edward whispered before letting her go. "I should have just kissed you anyway." He sat down on her sofa and she sat next to him, curling into his side and draping a long leg over his lap. He caressed her thigh.

"Never mind, we've got plenty more to come." She nuzzled her nose against the side of his neck. "Sorry to pull you from the studio."

"It was time for a break anyway," he replied. "Say, when is your meeting?"

"Next week, the 2nd of November."

"I'm in London then too, love. Alice and I have some networking events to attend, and Jasper needs to meet with our investors." He pulled her closer. "Do you think that I might also be able to persuade you to stay with me this time, rather than with Alice and Jasper? Perhaps we could make a weekend of it?"

"Um, I think I could be persuaded ... Although I'll need to check that Rosalie's covered for childcare."

"Alice will make sure she is,"Edward replied. _And so will I, if I have to. _"I need more time with you, Bella." He tilted her chin up and gently surrounded her top lip with both of his.

"I agree _mon ange. _I'd love to stay with you."

"Yeah?"

"Yes, of course. I'll go straight to the meeting, and afterwards, I'll be all yours, for the whole weekend."

"_All_ mine?"

"_All _yours, Edward, I want all of you. The past few weeks have been wonderful, catching up, falling back into our familiar ways, butI think we're ready for it all." To emphasise the point, she kissed him slowly but firmly, pushing her tongue past his lips. He allowed her to explore his hot, wet mouth for a minute, but stopped her when he felt himself starting to get a little too excited.

"Oh yes, love, I totally agree." He kissed her once more before extricating himself from her arms. "I'd better get back to the studio."

"Call me this evening?"

"You can count on it. Bye love."

"Bye." She nearly added an 'I love you' but something stopped her, although she wondered if her hesitancy might get rectified in London.

-cc-

Rosalie was still biding her time until she and Emmett could be together in the open. In the meantime, she was desperate to move house. Alice, Jasper, and Edward had just promoted her, realising she was a go-getter and that her talents were wasted as just a receptionist; from the beginning of November, she would have the title of Senior Administrator, with a special responsibility for artist liaison. The promotion also came with a significant raise in salary.

As she had also been quite frugal since starting work at AJE, Rosalie had worked out that she could afford to move to a bigger house in a nicer neighbourhood. Therefore, she decided that it was high time there was a Swan family conference. To her surprise, Bella was quick to agree. Despite still being upset with Rosalie and Charlie, they were still her family and she was ready to talk to them about Edward and her future.

Once Charlie arrived, and the twins were in bed, they sat around the kitchen table to talk.

"I asked for this meeting because I want to talk about moving house," Rosalie began. "You know I hate this dump. I've done some sums, and I'll be able to afford to move after Christmas. What do you think?"

"Um, I'm not surprised," replied Charlie. "Whereabouts were you thinking?"

"I'm not exactly sure, but possibly to one of those newer houses near the racecourse. I just want somewhere more modern, with more space, but I don't want the twins to have to change schools." Rosalie turned to Bella. "Bellsie?"

"Do you want me to move with you?" Bella asked in a quiet voice.

"Bella, I want you to do what is going to make you the happiest," Rosalie replied, covering her sister's hand and squeezing. "I would love to have you continue living with us, but it's not a necessity anymore, for either of us. But I also don't want you to make a decision based on the fact that you're angry with us."

"If I moved out, would it not traumatise them … I mean they've always had me here ..."

"Bella, the twins will adjust. It's just a matter of reassuring them that although you won't be in the same house, you will be nearby," replied Charlie gently. "When you moved in together, we all thought the arrangement would be for a couple of years at most. It was never meant to last this long. You put your life on hold. But things have changed. You both now have jobs you love and a decent income, you in particular, my little lamb," Charlie covered his younger daughter's hand with his. "What do _you _want?"

"Before I answer that, I need to tell you about a couple of things that have been happening recently."

"Oh?"

"Bellsie?"

"So, I didn't want to tell you this until everything was definite, but you know that I got a new agent, right?" Charlie and Rosalie nodded.

"Yeah, but you haven't said anything else about your writing."

"No, because I was waiting for some developments, and today, one came along."

"What happened, Bella?"

"I have a meeting with Atomic Publishing in London in next week. We're going to discuss publishing my first manuscript and the serial story I've been writing for my blog."

"Oh. My. GOD!" Both Charlie and Rosalie were on their feet and hugging and kissing her. "Congratulations! That's brilliant!"

"I'm so proud! My little lamb's going to be a published author. Finally!"

"Thank you." Bella flushed a little, as usual embarrassed by the attention. "If I get a deal out of it, it means I'll probably be away a lot next year, which is one reason why it's probably better that I move out when you move house."

"And the other reason?" Asked Charlie. He glanced at Rosalie, wondering if Bella was going to tell him about Edward.

"Daddy, um ..." _Just tell him Bella … quickly. _"Uh ... I'm back with Edward."

She immediately covered up her face to hide. Charlie gently pried her fingers away.

"Tell me, little lamb."

"We work together. AJE Records is his company, along with his best friends. " Unaware that Rosalie had already told him she went onto describe how Edward had returned to her life.

"So you've made up now?"

"Yes. He started off being quite cold towards me, but gradually things got better, especially when we cleared up what happened all those years ago. We've spent a lot of time getting to know each other over the past few weeks, and we're now most definitely back together." When Charlie didn't reply straight away, she continued. "Dad, I know you had serious objections to him when we were eighteen, but I hope that you can accept him now. He's the only man who will ever make me happy, and I won't lose him again."

"Oh, Bella, if Edward is responsible for the beautiful smile on your face and the radiance about you, then I welcome him in with open arms! We were wrong then. We were so bloody wrong. There were so many ways we could have handled the situation, and we chose the worst one." Charlie reached over and held his daughter's hand. "Do you think that he would agree to come for dinner? I'd love to get to know him."

"Really?"

"Really!"

"Great!" Bella paused for a moment to compose herself, suddenly feeling a little overcome. _"_I think dinner would be a bit intense the first time, especially as I'm still a little raw over you both keeping things from me, but how about I invite him to the twins' birthday party next weekend? They've met him several times now."

"Ah, yes, Penny Hair Man who can play One Direction and The Horsy Song on the piano," Rosalie commented, grinning. "And the one who showed George how to do a handstand in the swimming pool last week."

"Well, if he has the twins' seal of approval, I definitely can't wait to meet him."

-cc-

The next day was AJE Records' monthly team meeting, which almost all staff members were expected to attend, Rosalie and Bella included. Alice usually took the lead, and this meeting was no exception.

"Right, woo-hoo! Pipe down everybody 'cause we got a lot to do today!" She added a loud whistle, and the packed conference room quietened immediately.

"Good!"

Alice went through the agenda item by item until she reached the end of her list.

"Okay, so just two more things, and then we're done. First is that we have a last minute booking for the acoustic studio next week. Prince Records want to begin recording The Hunters' album badly enough that they're hiring our studio because theirs is in use. They'll be here the whole of next week, and possibly the week after. Rosalie?"

"Yes?"

"Please could you liaise with Prince Records' production team about their needs? Accommodation, support staff etc ... Make sure you bill them for absolutely everything, okay? We're doing them a massive favour. They should pay accordingly."

"Of course."

"Great!" Alice winked at her friend.

"Now the final item. Everyone, I'd like you to keep next Wednesday evening free. I'm going to throw a Halloween party right here at the studios, with a free bar!"

There was a ripple of delighted surprise.

"A party, Alice?" Edward murmured.

"Yes!" She hissed. "And I've already planned it, so suck it up!" She turned back to her staff. "Guys, please make an effort with costumes. Bree Tanner, Riley-B and several other artists are coming, so it's going to be epic! We've also got some selected members of press attending, so please bear that in mind. No slutty or provocative costumes. Anyone doing a Mean Girls* or a Prince Harry* will piss me off and you don't wanna be pissing me off on Party Day!"

The meeting broke up shortly afterwards. Bella had gotten caught up talking to one of the admin team, and when she looked around, Edward had disappeared. She went to his office, but he wasn't there, so she headed to the production wing, which housed the studios. Once there, it wasn't difficult to locate him. She merely followed the sound of piano playing to the auditorium, which housed an enormous Steinway, Model D, grand concert piano.

He was completely absorbed, swaying slightly as his fingers collided with the notes. He was playing an intense, heavy piece, which immediately invoked a sense of jealousy and confusion_. _ Words started swirling around in her mind. She took the Biro tucked into her messy topknot and scribbled a few words on her arm as she didn't have a notebook with her, never taking her eyes off Edward's muscular back as he played.

_And it feels like jealousy_

_And it feels like I can't breathe_

_Now I'm on, down on my knees_

_And it feels like jealousy_

Gradually Edward brought the piece to a calmer close, the final notes dark and slow with misery and helplessness.

"Bella," he whispered.

"I'm right here, _mon ange,"_ she replied. He startled and turned around.

"Oh! How long have you been there, love?" He held his hands out to her, and she walked into his embrace. His arms tightened around her waist, and he rested his head against the soft pillow of her chest.

"A while. It's a phenomenal piece, but it's bleak, almost invidious in places, full of jealousy and hopelessness. It sent shivers down my spine."

"Yeah ..." Bella dropped a soft kiss onto his forehead and ran her hand into the hair at the back of his neck, scratching lightly. He relaxed but didn't move.

"What's wrong, Edward? Talk to me."

He let go of her and coaxed her to sit next to him on the piano bench.

"I was annoyed with Alice. She just announced this whole party thing without telling me how big a deal it was going to be, and then after the meeting, she mentioned that because The Hunters are using the acoustic studio, she had invited them; Along with The Hunters comes their dickhead manager."

"Jacob? You're upset about Jacob? But I told you that I absolutely can't stand him."

"I know, love, but I've seen the way he looks at you, and I don't want him around."

"What do you mean?"

"He looks at you like you're an animal he's going to hunt down and consume, come what may. Like he got a taste before, and now he wants you to be his whole meal."

Bella shuddered at the memory of waking up next to Jacob, and at the thought that he had probably drugged her to get her into bed. Bella still hadn't told Edward about the possibility that Jacob might have drugged her and Jessica. She had wanted to, but Jessica had begged her to keep it a secret in case they never got enough evidence for a conviction, something with which Charlie agreed, but now the burden was too heavy; she could keep it from him no longer. Her eyes filled with tears.

"Oh, Edward ..."

"Oh, Bella love! What is it? What did I say?" He pulled her closer and she curled against his body, her legs wrapped around him.

"Not you Edward, him … Jacob. I need to tell you something, and I need you to try not to freak out about it. Please, just hold me while I tell you?"

"Of course, love."

So, with her tears dampening his shirt, Bella told him about the suspicions she and Jessica had, and Edward only managed to stop himself from exploding into roars of anger because Bella was clinging onto him so tightly.

"That fucking bastard, I want to kill him!

"Edward, please! If he thinks that we're onto him, he'll become hyper-vigilant and we won't be able to catch him."

"But he's coming here next week! I can't stand the thought of him even being in the same room as you!"

"Apart from the party, he won't have any opportunity to be. We're writing with Alistair Kinsella during the first half of the week, and we'll be in London Thursday and Friday," she told him.

Alistair Kinsella was the former child star of _The Albert Street Gang_, a hugely popular drama series from the late 1990s; ironically it had been Bella's mother's favourite show. After the show had been cancelled he went to university to study music, and had decided to return to the public eye as a singer. AJE had just signed on a two album deal the previous month. It had been a controversial decision, with the media speculating that he had been signed only because of his former fame, but Edward and Alice saw that his raw talent could be channelled into great music, and they were prepared to take a chance on him.

"I guess."

"He may want me," Bella slid her hand onto his thigh, "he may _covet_ me," she leaned in and whispered into his ear, "but he will never, ever have me because I'm only yours."

Bella felt calmer having told him, and some of her tentative self-confidence came back to her.

"Oh, Bella, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. You can't help the way you feel. But tell me, talk to me, don't let your temper get the better of you because Jacob is most definitely not worth it." She nipped his earlobe, and he hugged her into his side. "When did you write that piece? Surely not just now, it feels too polished."

"I wrote it on your birthday, you know, when I saw Jacob coming onto you, and then fought with Rosalie, followed by Emmett."

"I figured as much." She showed him her arm. "I think we could make it into an extremely powerful single for Alistair if you're happy to let it go. He has that moody, tortured artist thing going on."

"You're right, love. I think you've got the beginnings of a great set of lyrics for it. The title could be just one powerful word. '_Jealousy'._"

They spent the rest of the day together, just writing, playing and creating songs. Bella asked him to come to the twins' birthday party, which Esme had insisted on hosting at Riverview Place, and although nervous about meeting Charlie, he agreed.

-cc-

On Saturday afternoon, Edward walked around the side of his sister's house where several kids were running around a fenced-off area of the lawn and playing on a bouncy castle. Unused to large numbers of children in one place, he immediately felt overwhelmed. He looked around for adults, and headed for the paved area by the conservatory doors, where he saw Esme, Carlisle, Rosalie and Bella standing, chatting amongst themselves or to some other adults, who he surmised were parents of the twins' friends. An older man with salt and pepper hair and an impressive moustache stood close to Bella, and as Edward approached, a shiver went down his spine as he saw the striking resemblance between them … _Charles Swan._

"Edward!" Esme trotted over to him as best she could, given the extra weight she was carrying, and gave him a hug. "Bella said you were coming. I'm so pleased."

"Hey sis, you and Bump are looking good!"

"Ugh. I'm a whale!" She stroked her big tummy. She was thirty-four weeks pregnant; the baby was due a couple of weeks before Christmas. "You have your nervous face on. Is it because Bella's father is here?"

"Yeah, first time meeting him and all."

"He's a lovely man, quiet, very intelligent. You can see where Bella gets it from."

"PENNY HAIR MAN!" George had spotted Edward and came running, with Gemma following. "YOU CAME TO OUR PARTY!" The twins promptly collided with his legs.

"Oof! Of course I did!"

"Will you play the piano for us, Edward?" asked Gemma. "Please?"

"It would be an honour to play for you on your birthday. Any song you want, even One Direction." He ruffled the twins' hair. The hairs on the back of his neck suddenly stood up, and he didn't need to turn round to know that Bella was behind him.

"Later, babies, after tea and the games, okay?"

"Okay, Auntie Bella." They scampered back to their friends and Bella wrapped her arm around his waist. "Hi."

"Hello." He kissed her temple softly and snaked his left arm behind her neck. She entwined her fingers with the hand that hovered over her shoulder.

"Ready to meet my dad?" She asked, squeezing his fingers.

"Sure."

"He's as nervous as you, so relax, okay?" Esme added as they started walking back to the patio.

As they approached, Charlie was wracked with crashing waves of worry. Bella looked radiant, and utterly in love, and it was clear that Edward adored her in equal measure. _Please let him understand. I thought I was doing the best for my baby girl. _Finally, they were in front of him.

"Hello, Edward, I'm Charlie Swan." He held out his hand, and it felt like a long moment before Edward, without letting go of Bella, extended his and shook it, warmly and firmly.

"Hello, sir."

"Please, just call me Charlie."

"Charlie," Edward repeated, letting the name roll of his tongue. "I'm happy to finally meet you."

"Likewise. It's good to see our Bella looking so happy, and I know that's because of you."

"I'm just going to see to the food," murmured Bella, deciding to let Charlie and Edward talk.

"Don't stay away too long," he murmured into her ear before letting her go.

Once she left, an awkward silence began.

"So, uh, I was just saying to Carlisle before you arrived, Edward that it's incredibly generous of him and Esme to host the twins' party."

"It's an absolute delight, Charlie," Carlisle replied graciously. "Besides, with our little one coming soon, we need all the practice we can get at dealing with kids."

"It takes me back to when Rosalie and Bella were little girls."

"Bella used to have birthday parties like this?" Edward asked incredulously. "But she hates any sort of fuss."

"Yeah, she always did, but her mother would insist. In the end, we told her that the party was also to celebrate Rosalie's half-birthday- her birthday is on 14th March- and then she would hesitantly agree, as long as Rosalie stood next to her when everyone sang and she had to blow out her candles. Finally, when she got to the age of ten, Renee relented and allowed her to do what she wanted."

"I don't understand. Why would Bella's mother insist, when Bella would have been happier just with fairy cakes and a new book?"

"My ex-wife was, and still is, I expect, a relentless, social climber. She and the other lawyers' wives would constantly try to outdo each other when it came to events, especially kids' parties," Charlie explained. "Every single milestone or achievement was something to gloat over. And between Rosalie, who was always extremely charismatic and classically beautiful, and Bella who was the smartest kid with the best grades, Renee always wanted to show them off."

"That's terrible," Edward spluttered angrily. "They were kids, not bloody show poodles!"

"Edward ..." Carlisle murmured.

"No, Edward is absolutely right. It makes me sick to think of it now. Rosalie parents the twins in an entirely different way, and I'm truly grateful. She doesn't care about what other people think. She encourages the twins in the constructive activities they want to do, and supports them to achieve the things they need to achieve. She's a very positive parent. Bella too, she's essentially been their second parent."

"The twins are amazing kids," Edward agreed, feeling calmer, "although they're a bit like yin and yang."

"Yes, George has always been a ball of energy, with the attention span of a gnat, and Gemma, well; she's a mini-Bella. If it was Gemma's birthday alone, we'd have been at home watching Harry Potter with a plate of cookies."

"Carlisle?" The three men turned round to see Rosalie approaching, carrying two glasses of lemonade. "Esme asked if you'd help her find something."

"Sure, excuse me." Carlisle trotted into the house and Rosalie took his place. She handed Charlie and Edward the glasses.

"Thanks," Edward said, suddenly feeling awkward again at the realisation that he was alone with two people whose actions had caused him such misery.

Rosalie glanced at Charlie who nodded subtly.

"Edward?"

"Rosalie?"

He turned towards her. They hadn't actually spoken, apart from work, since the night of Bella's birthday.

"Dad and I, we just wanted to tell you how pleased we are that you and Bella are back together."

"You are?" Edward replied sceptically. "But you thought I wasn't good enough for her before."

"You have every right to be angry with us. We went about the whole thing in entirely the wrong way. We didn't listen to her when she tried to explain how much she loved you, and then before I had the chance to tell her to ask you to come meet us to talk about it, you had gone, and she was devastated," Charlie explained.

"Edward, we didn't find out until the day you met again, exactly what happened. Dad and I never told her she couldn't be with you. But it turns out that our mother went back later and made her believe that if she chose you, she'd be disowned."

"Bella told me." Edward's tone was terse.

"That was all utterly untrue. I just didn't want her to run away on a whim with a boy I didn't know. She was my sweet, shy, sheltered little girl."

Edward felt his hackles and defences go up.

"It wasn't a whim. We planned our trip for nearly six months. We got jobs. We saved. We studied. We were so excited about it, but not once did we have any illusions about the fact that it would be difficult at times."

"We realise that now, Edward. We handled it quite badly. We've said this to Bella so many times over the years and she's forgiven us, but we need to make sure you also know that we're so sorry."

Rosalie, to Edward's astonishment, looked watery-eyed. She had always seemed so cool and composed to him. He glanced over to the kids, who were being rounded up by Bella and some of the parents, in order to head inside for tea. Bella caught his eye and smiled before returning to the kids. He instantly relaxed. _I can do this. For my Bella, I can do anything. _

"We truly are, Edward, honestly and truly sorry. I wish we could do more than apologise, and I hope that as you get to know us, you will be able to forgive us in time," added Charlie.

Edward looked between Rosalie and Charlie, and he felt a pang in his heart. _It still hurts so much. _

"Bella's made it clear that Swans are a package deal, and she wants me to forgive you. I'm not quite there yet, but I will be, once I've gotten over the fact that it was the meddling of others that kept us apart. Can you understand what I mean?"

"Of course we do."

Edward offered his hand to Charlie. Surprised but delighted, Charlie shook it enthusiastically.

"Thank you. I'm going to go find Bella now." Edward turned towards Rosalie, squeezed her shoulder and then went inside through the patio doors.

Meanwhile, Emmett had been parked outside Riverview Place for nearly thirty minutes, debating whether to go in. He knew about the birthday party of course, from both Esme and Rosalie, but nobody was expecting him to turn up. He knew Edward was going to be there too, and Bella, who he had yet to meet again. He was desperate to see Rosalie, and to meet Gemma and George. A tap on his window startled him. It was Carlisle, who had been taking out the rubbish and had spotted Emmett's Audi.

"Emmett?"

Emmett scrambled out of the car.

"Oh, hi, I was, uh, just in the neighbourhood, and I thought I'd stop by, but I saw all the cars in the driveway and remembered that you and Esme were hosting a party, so I'll just come back another time."

"Don't be ridiculous Em, Esme will be delighted to see you. Plus, Edward is here, as are Bella and her family."

"Yeah, I don't know..."

"There's a helluva lot of cake and sandwiches ..." Emmett didn't need much persuasion to do something he really wanted to do; the food was just the cherry on top.

"Oh, all right then."

He locked his car and followed Carlisle through to the huge kitchen and conservatory, which had been decorated in an underwater theme. The kids were sitting around two large trestle tables, tucking into huge piles of sandwiches, vegetable sticks and dips, mini cheese rolls, crisps, cookies, brownies and fairy cakes. The adults stood around the large, kitchen island, chatting while grazing on a more grown-up collection of snacks and nibbles.

"Emmett!" Esme cried as she spotted him. "Oh, wow, what a surprise! What are you doing here?" She hugged her brother warmly.

Rosalie looked up sharply and almost dropped her glass. Bella, who was standing next to Edward at the island, felt him tense.

"I was just in the area and thought I'd say hi." He looked at his sister's bump. "Wow, my niece or nephew's getting really big!"

"I know. I don't walk anymore I just waddle!"

"You look fab, Sis." He told her, sincerely. Although huge, Esme was glowing with health and happiness. "Any chance of some grub?"

"Of course."

Emmett walked over to the kitchen island and stood in front of Edward and Bella.

"Hey, Bro."

"Emmett."

"Hi Bella, it's been a really long time."

To Emmett's surprise, Bella let go of Edward and gave Emmett a hug.

"Way too long. I hope that's not going to remain the case, especially now that Edward and I ..." She returned to Edward's side and nudged him with her shoulder. He glanced down at her, and his expression softened. He kissed her forehead, curled his arm around her waist and held her close.

"Me too," Emmett replied. "I'm really happy for you guys."

"Thank you, Em."

"Edward, looking good Bro, how are you?" Emmett looked at his brother hopefully, but it was clear that Edward was still upset with him.

"Yeah, fine." Edward spotted Charlie moving towards them. "You know Bella's dad, right. Charlie?"

Emmett turned around.

"Of course. Hi Charlie, how are you?"

"Good thanks and you?"

"Excuse us a minute," Bella murmured, sensing the tension emanating from Edward, before taking him by the hand and leading him out of the kitchen and into the garden.

While Charlie and Emmett made general, lawyer chit-chat, both were conscious of Rosalie pottering in the background, trying to keep busy and avoid looking at her secret lover. She busied herself by making sure the kids were all right and then talking to Vera and some of the other parents, but it still took all her inner strength to stop herself from jumping into Emmett's arms.

The kids soon finished eating and, full of sugar, needed diversion. Rosalie was grateful to get the party games started.

"Wow, they sure have a lot of energy!" Commented Emmett as he watched them laughing, squealing and playing.

"They do, and my grandson especially!" Charlie pointed out George, who was in the middle of the group, making the most noise. Gemma decided to come up to Charlie's side then. "Hello princess, having a good time?"

"Yes thank you, Grandpa," she replied politely. She looked up at the large, but friendly-looking Emmett. "Hello," she said shyly.

Emmett crouched down to her level and held out his large hand.

"Hi there. You must be Gemma. My name is Emmett, and I'm Esme and Edward's brother."

George came barrelling through then.

"Hi! I'm George! You're really, really big … like the Hulk, but you're not green!"

Emmett laughed out loud.

"You're really funny, kid!" He turned to Gemma. "And you, Miss Gemma, are very pretty." _Just like your mum._

"Thank you, Emmett," Gemma replied, her face colouring at the compliment.

"Do you want to play with us?" George asked, pulling at Emmett's wrist. He turned to look at Rosalie. "Mummy, I think Emm-itt should play with us!"

Rosalie took a deep breath and walked over.

"Sorry about my son. He's very exuberant and has no verbal filter."

"I don't mind." He got to his feet and took George's hand. "Nice to see you again, Rosalie."

"You too." They both tried not to give each other lingering looks, but the pull was incredibly strong.

Before they could get caught up to the point that others would notice, George started pulling him towards the centre of the group of kids.

"Come on, Emm-itt! We're going to play Red Yellow Green!" With a brief, wistful glance at Rosalie, Emmett went with George and Gemma followed suit.

"You okay, Tiger?" Charlie stood alongside his older daughter and rubbed her back. "Hard to see him here?" He added in a low voice.

"Yeah, it is, and look, the kids took to him instantly."

Emmett was dancing around making chicken arms, and all the kids were following, George and Gemma right next to him.

"Bodes well for when he's permanently in your life, doesn't it?"

"I hope so. I just hate not being able to be with him properly. Seeing Bella and Edward together ... I'm really happy for her but envious that they can be together openly. How the tables have turned, huh?"

Bella and Edward were on the bench by the river's edge. He lay on the bench with his head in her lap, enjoying the feel of her playing with his hair, but not the discussion about Emmett that Bella had instigated.

"... He thought he was doing the right thing, _mon ange. _That's why I could be warm to him. I'm just so happy to have you back. He's your big brother. I know you're still angry, but you're so close, and I can tell that you miss him. One day soon you two will make up. I don't want to be the cause of a rift in your family."

"I forgot how bloody wise you are, love. You're right, but I'm just not there yet. Like with your Dad and Rosalie. I want to be close to them too, but I need to let go of the resentment or something."

"Plenty of time, Edward, we have plenty of time."

For the next hour or so they continued to chat, touch and kiss, whilst watching the ducks swimming and waving at the odd tourist boat.

Edward's phone vibrated, and Bella fished it out of his pocket for him.

_Hey, do you mind coming inside soon? George and the kids are asking for Penny Hair Man to play the piano! Es xoxo_

He showed it to Bella and after one more kiss they got up. When they got to the piano, the kids crowded around.

"Please can we have The Horsy Song first?" George asked.

"OK." He patted the bench and George came to sit next to him. "Gemma, you too." He patted the bench on the other side, and she climbed up next to him. "What would you like, One Direction?"

"Not this time. Can you play _Sweet Talk_? My friends and I really like that song. It's special because Auntie Bella wrote the words, and she said you wrote the music part." Edward grinned broadly at her choice.

"Yes we did. Right, are you both ready?"

Over the next hour, Edward had all the kids request songs and sit next to him as he played. Towards the end, Bella slipped out to the pantry to see to the twins' birthday cakes- a dolphin for Gemma and a clownfish for George. She finished off the final decorations and topped the cakes with the candles. She started to head out with the first one, but stopped when she heard two voices- Charlie and Emmett.

"We should make this quick. I shouldn't even be talking to you about it."

Bella assumed they were referring to the legal case against Royce. She decided not to move.

"I know. But it's painful to see Rosalie unable to enjoy her success because this is still hanging over her. And you."

"Tell me about it. It breaks my heart. But we are making progress."

Bella was confused. _Why does it break Emmett's heart? _

"So?"

"Briefly, the Fraud team is waiting on a forensic accountancy report. We expect in a week, two at the most. We have Jersey Police keeping an eye on King. We've obtained a warrant to access Jacob Black's account statements without informing him, and we're trying to obtain access to his email account."

"Any idea on a timeline?"

"I hope we can have the evidence wrapped up by the end of the month, but I don't want to rush. I need my team to have every possible scrap of evidence because once we arrest King and the Blacks, I want it to be watertight so I can push for a quick trial."

"Yes, the sooner the better. Thank you. I won't bug you about it anymore; I know you're putting your neck on the line for even talking to me about it."

"Charlie, I put my neck on the line just walking through the door."

"I realise that. Just, please be careful. I've said it to both of you now. You know the consequences if anyone finds out before you secure a conviction."

Bella was frozen to the spot, listening closely. _Find out what?_

"Bloody hell. I do."

"It's for the best. If the defence does find out, they'll put all of us on the stand. With the stress and depression Bella's been through, and her tendency to do the right thing no matter the cost to her, I don't want my little lamb to be in a position where she either has to tell the truth and Royce walks away unpunished, or she perjures herself by lying, because the jury doubted the credibility of the prosecution's case. Rosalie knows this, but it doesn't make it easier. I know she feels guilty, especially now that Bella knows that something's being kept from her."

"That was my fault. If I hadn't been in such a mess and begged to see her, she wouldn't have lied to Bella."

Bella, behind the pantry door, nearly dropped the cake she was holding.

_Rosalie and Emmett?_

"Yeah, it wasn't the most sensible thing to do. But Rosalie tells me that you haven't seen each other since?"

"No. It's absolute torture every day I'm not with her, Charlie." There was a pause. "Sorry, is it weird that I'm talking you about this? I mean, she's your daughter."

"Son, the way you talk about Rosalie, and the way your brother talks about Bella, warms me through to the bone. You're both good men." Bella heard Charlie take a deep, gasping breath. "I made the mistake of not listening to Bella when she told me all those years ago that Edward was worthy of her. As a result, I lost her, not physically, of course, but she wasn't with us emotionally because her heart was with him. This time around, I'm not making the same mistake, with either of my daughters."

"You're not the only one that did wrong by Edward and Bella, Charlie. I did too, and the kicker is that Edward's still not talking to me, but Bella greeted me today with such genuine warmth and affection, as if I didn't ruin her life."

"That's my little lamb for you. Even though she's mad with me and Rosalie, she's still helping with the twins and this party. She's still thinking about us with every decision she makes, even though we've done her wrong so many times."

The sound of kids squealing and Edward finishing a song with a crashing flourish interrupted their conversation.

"We had better get back."

"Yeah ..."

Bella heard two sets of footsteps walk away.

She immediately put the cake down, as her hands had started to shake.

_It all makes sense now. Oh what a bloody, fucking, tangled web._

-cc-

**AN: **

***If you've not seen _Mean Girls, _there's a famous quote from Lindsay Lohan's character:**

_ "In the regular world, Halloween is when children dress up in costumes and beg for candy. In Girl World, Halloween is the one night a year when a girl can dress like a total slut and no other girls can say anything about it."_

***Prince Harry got into trouble with the media a couple of years ago when he wore a Nazi costume to a party and did a Hitler impression- understandably it did not go down well. **

**T****he next chapter should be posted next Sunday, although there is the possibility that my family will descend on me and steal all my precious writing and posting time, in which case, I'll post at my first opportunity. Chapter 28 is the last of the flashback chapters in the story, and Chapter 29 is the Halloween party. **

**Thank you for reading!**

**CC xxx**


	28. Chapter 28

**Hi everyone! I hope you are all well. I'm writing from a very hot and sunny England, where we are all rejoicing Andy Murray's win at Wimbledon! Yay! **

**Thanks again for the reviews and favourites/follows! This is the last of the flashback chapters in the story, and it's setting up for the remaining chapters. The Halloween party will be Chapter 29, and as some of you are expecting, it's going to be ... eventful ...**

**Huge thank yous and virtual hugs to SunflowerFran, my lovely beta! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's ****_Persuasion._**** I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**-cc-**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Eight**

January 2008

**_To: Edward Cullen; Alice Brandon Whitlock; Jasper Whitlock (AJE RECORDS)_**

**_From: Demetri Volturi_**

**_Subject: Read me!_**

_Hey guys! How's London? _

_I actually got some news. The first part, I'm sure you know. You guys are done with your loan from Marcus and Aro from February 1__st__. They are beyond happy about the return you made for them. If you want another investment, I'm sure they'd agree. _

_The second is going to be more of a surprise; it's to do with Maria and Vlad. They're history, my friends. Felix and me, we didn't want to say anything to you until we were sure they were locked up._

_Vlad received two life sentences, so he ain't ever getting out. One for the drug dealing and one for murder; he killed one of his runners. Maria's been given one twenty year sentence for dealing and another for manslaughter after one of her crack whores died from a bad rock. I attach a link to the news article. _

_You're safe. Come back soon_

_Demetri_

Alice read the email several times before squealing loudly.

"Woo hoo! We can go home!"

Jasper, who was asleep in their new bed in their new house, in Primrose Hill, one of London's most exclusive areas, woke up with a start.

"Wha' darlin'?"

"Look!" She thrust her laptop at him.

It took a minute for him to focus.

"Holy shit!"

"I know, right? God, Jazzy, can you believe it's been five years since we left? I can go see my mom and dad and Cyndy ... Oh, we need to call Edward!"

As she said it, their landline rang. Without needing to check the caller ID, she answered.

"Edward, did you see? We can go back to New York!"

_"I did indeed!"_

"Looking at our schedule, we can go out in three weeks if you're happy that Tia and Benjamin can handle the studio."

_"Sounds good, and it'll be great to see Demetri and co again."_

-cc-

It was a bitterly cold Thursday afternoon, and Bella was holding the fort at The Stag while Harry drove Seth back to university in Leicester. There were only a couple of drinkers, and Bella was using the quiet time to write a couple of poems.

"Bells!" She looked up to see Angela walking in with a grin on her face.

"Hey, what are you doing here?"

"I just finished this." Angela positioned herself on one of the barstools and held up a plastic document wallet. "I just had to come tell you that it's amazing!"

"Really?" Bella squeaked. "You like my story?"

"Like it? Bella, when I turned the last page to find it blank, I nearly cried! You have to make _The Nadir and the Zenith_ into a whole novel. It's better than anything I've read in the past year, at least."

"But you and I like the same kinds of books. I don't know if anyone else would want to read it."

"Bells, how will you know unless you try? You want to be a writer; then write. You want to know what readers will think; then show them your stuff." Angela pulled out her laptop from her large tote bag and attached her mobile internet dongle. "God, I hope you don't kill me for this."

"What?" replied Bella warily.

"I set you up with a blog for your creative work." Angela pulled up a webpage. "It's pretty basic so far. I've called it _Bella Writes, _but if you hate it, we can change it."

"A blog? I don't know, Ang. You know I'm not particularly technical ..."

"It's really easy to update once you get going. It's the way of the future, Bells." Bella still looked sceptical. "Look, just think about it. It's a way of keeping your writing together, rather than in scrapbooks, and bits of paper at the bottom of your handbag. It can be as simple or as stylish as you like, and I can help you with any artwork or design."

Bella thought about her main inspiration involuntarily, and her heart panged.

"Could we call it _Pour Mon Ange: Bella Writes, _and perhaps have angels as a theme?"

"Sure. What kind of angel?" She picked up a pen and a piece of paper.

"Um, I don't want a frilly or floaty one. Could you draw a boy angel, handsome and strong."

Angela immediately realised Bella's train of thought. _Edward, of course._

"Got it. Pull me a half of Kingmaker and I'll get to work."

Ten minutes later, Angela had drawn a picture of a handsome, bare-chested male angel with large wings, who emulated Edward's classically handsome, masculine features.

"What do you think?" She showed the picture to Bella.

Bella felt herself tear up immediately. It was perfect … too perfect to share, in fact.

"Wow Ang ... uh, um ... it's great, but maybe we should keep things simple after all." Bella took the picture from her friend. "Can I keep this?"

"Sure," she replied, confused at Bella's sudden change of tone. "Promise me you'll at least have a play with the blog tonight?"

"Of course."

Angela drained the last of her beer before leaning over the bar to kiss her best friend on the cheek.

"I'd better get back to work."

As Angela left, Zafrina, one of Bella's regulars at The Stag, and owner of the tattoo parlour three doors down, walked in for a lunchtime pint. Bella, who was still staring at the beautiful picture Angela had drawn, and thinking of Edward, hadn't noticed her come in.

"Woo-hoo! Earth to Bella!"

"What? Oh, sorry Zaf!" The paper fluttered out of Bella's hand and onto the bar.

"The usual?"

"Yes please." Bella began pulling her a pint of Duck Soup. Zaf picked up the piece of paper. "Holy shit, did you draw this? It's epic."

"No, my friend Angela did. She owns the photography and design gallery on Henley Street."

"Yeah, I know the one." Zafrina took a sip of her beer. "You know, it would look fantastic as a tattoo. I'd give you a discount."

It wasn't the first time Zafrina had offered to decorate her. Bella had thought about it a few times, but didn't want to get one just for the sake of it, without a design she adored. The angel design in her hand was perfect, but the thought of the needles and the pain put her off. She was fascinated by tattoos but couldn't imagine how people got them done time and again, like Zafrina, whose arms were decorated in a wild, intricate rainforest theme with jungle vines, exotic flowers and brightly coloured birds.

"I'll think about it."

"You always say that!"

Bella shrugged.

"Maybe I mean it this time." She poured some peanuts into a dish and gave them to Zafrina. "Anyway, what are you up to this afternoon?"

"I'm heading to Leamington. I have to check the accounts in my other shop there."

A group of shivering Spanish tourists came in just then, so Bella couldn't continue her conversation with Zafrina, and her friend left quietly after finishing her pint while Bella was still trying to help her customers decide what they wanted to drink. As Bella watched her go, she couldn't help but picture what the angel drawing would look like etched into her skin the way Edward was still etched into her heart.

-cc-

Billy Black was drowning in a sea of paperwork, and his sector seemed to be coming apart at the seams. They were only making progress on the biggest, most high profile cases, or the open-and-shut ones. Any others seemed to fall by the wayside. In his monthly reports to the Chief Prosecutor's office, he fudged the figures to cover up the incompetency. He didn't want to admit, to anybody that he was struggling, both with the work and with constant back pain, for which he was awaiting an operation. For years, the Warwickshire Sector had the best record for case processing and convictions, and he desperately wanted to maintain it, even if it meant lying.

His mobile phone rang then, offering a welcome distraction.

"Hello?"

_"Dad, hey!"_

"Hi son, what's happening?"

_"Oh, well, I'm actually calling from the Cayman Islands."_

"Holiday?"

_"Err, kind of. The thing is I made this investment here last year, and it's actually done very well, far better than I expected."_

"That's great, my boy."

_"I'd like you to have the profit, Dad. It's £100 grand."_

"Jacob, I couldn't possibly ..."

_"Of course you can, Dad! I want to do this. You can put it in your retirement fund or something."_

"No, I really can't, and I won't."

_"Why not? It's easy money, Dad, and I want you to have it."_

"No. Jacob, where did you get the money for the investment, in the first place?"

_"Um, just from money I made working, and from old investments."_

"Here's the thing, son. I _know_ where your seed fund came from. Royce."

_"What, no ...?_

"DON'T LIE TO ME!"

Billy snapped. He had kept his knowledge of Jacob's involvement in the fraud from him for years, but found he could do it no longer.

Jacob gasped at his father's loud outburst as Billy rarely raised his voice.

_"Dad, uh, what makes you think Royce gave me any money?"_

"I don't think, I KNOW! I've spent the last two and half bloody years making damn sure that he doesn't get prosecuted because you were stupid enough to get tangled up in his fraud. It's all over your account history, you idiot!"

_"Shit ..."_

"Do you know how difficult it was to tell my best friend of forty years that his family was going to remain destitute, when I knew that on an island not too far away, my son was living the life of Riley with _his _money?"

_"Royce just got me started, Dad. I haven't accepted any money off him for two years."_

"You didn't stop him. You let him use your account to steal Charlie's money. I couldn't see my son in jail, Jacob, but don't think for a second that I was happy to do the things I had to do to bury the case. So no, I won't be taking that money. It's tainted. Do something else with it. Give it to charity. Spend it on something frivolous. But don't let it come anywhere near me."

Jacob pondered his options. He had the mind of a hardened investor, and couldn't contemplate the idea of giving money away without getting a return. Giving it to his father would have meant that he could absolve himself of concern about his old man in the future.

_"Well, my friend James is looking for investors for his band ..."_

"Fine, do that."

_"How are the Swans?"_

"Surviving."

_"Bella? I thought about contacting her_ ..." _because that innocent thing she had going on was fuck hot. And she was an awesome lay, once I got her to comply; she had such a tight little pussy. _

"Don't you even think about it! Not yet. People still gossip about what happened, even though Royce's family moved away. When the time is right, you can come back and have Bella if you haven't met another girl in the meantime. She's practically a recluse, so I doubt she's going to get snapped up anytime soon."

Billy liked the idea of Bella as his future daughter-in-law, seeing it as one way for making up for the loss of her family fortune. He had been very much against Jacob's plan to give up architecture and move to Jersey to work in finance; he blamed it for Jacob getting involved with Royce's criminal activities, and lamented the break-up of his son's fledgling relationship with Bella.

_"Fine." Plenty of girls to fuck in the meantime, thanks to my special weapons. _

"If you know what's best, you won't get involved with any more of Royce's schemes. I know you boys are thick as thieves but seriously, son ..."

_"We don't do business together anymore, Dad. We don't need to. We're both very well off."_

"Just be careful, okay?"

_"All right, Dad."_

After the end of his conversation with Jacob, Billy was left feeling unsettled and anxious, so he decided to look up the _Regina vs. Royce King case _on the database. It took him an age because of his minimal IT skills but when he got there, the case was still listed as 'active'. He tried to change it to 'closed', but the computer wouldn't let him do it. Panicking, he managed to look up the file location; it said it was in the central Crown Prosecution Service Records Office in the basement.

Without hesitating, he phoned the only other person he could talk to about the case. Sue Clearwater. She no longer worked for the Crown Prosecution Service. Instead, she had a steady job as an administrator for the family court. She had begged for the transfer so that she wouldn't have to work in the office where she had committed a crime, and there was no chance of running into Charlie in family court. He had been terribly upset when she ended their affair, and she didn't want to be reminded of her indiscretion.

"Sue, please could you come round. I really need to talk to you."

_"I don't know ..."_

"Please?!"

_"Fine. I'll be there at lunchtime." _

Sue duly came round, although it was with reluctance.

"What is it, Billy?" she asked, not bothering with a greeting as she slumped in a chair.

"The file. It's definitely destroyed, right?"

"Essentially. Why?"

"It's still active on the database, and the computer won't let me change it. It says the file is here in the building!"

"Jesus, calm down!" Sue told him. "Of course the case is still listed as 'active.' Charlie logged it onto the database before handing it to you, so he's the only one who can change it. And you can't exactly go tell him to do that, can you?"

"No. Shit. Billy pulled at his silver hair. "But the file's gone? It's not in Central Records?"

"In Central Records, all that remains is a blank file with a few scraps of paper. You can go down and check yourself if you don't believe me."

Billy sighed in relief.

"No, I believe you."

"Good. Are we done?"

"Yes. Sorry."

"Bye, Billy."

Sue returned to the sanctity of her office, and after making herself a very strong cup of sweet tea, she opened the locked, bottom drawer of her desk. Inside was a file containing the rest of the evidence she had managed to salvage from the case file, encased inside another file to disguise it. She was biding her time until an opportunity arose for her to get the case looked at again. It would not happen while Billy was Sector Crown Prosecutor. She could have taken it to Charlie, but she knew that seeing him again might awaken the attraction she felt for him, and she wasn't ready for her affair to be exposed. It had taken a very long time, but her relationship with Harry was finally improving, although still a little shaky.

However, Billy's anxiety had caused hers to grow. She no longer felt comfortable with it in her possession. _I need to move it somewhere safe. But where?_

Suddenly she remembered the Crown Prosecution Service had an off-site storage unit, across the county border in Worcestershire. It was secure, far away, and most importantly, Billy and Charlie did not know about it.

-cc-

Alice Jasper and Edward had a blast in New York City. They visited their old haunts and caught up with old friends and in Alice's case, family. Alice visited her childhood home on Long Island for the last time as her parents were about to retire to Boca Raton and had sold it. Jasper went to see Peter and Charlotte, who now ran several drug addiction clinics for homeless and low-income people across the city, upstate New York and in New Jersey. They were delighted that he was doing so well, and had remained drug free for six years. Edward hung out with Demetri and his family, even doing a few shifts behind the bar at Eclissi for old times' sake and spinning some records at The Sullivan Room.

It was at dinner at Per Se on their final night in New York that Demetri asked the question that Edward, Jasper, and Alice in particular had been thinking over.

"So when are you coming back to New York permanently?"

Edward and Jasper immediately turned to Alice.

"Oh, ah ... not sure. We need to sit down with the team when we get back to London and discuss plans ..."

Her answer seemed to satisfy Demetri, who went back to eating his dessert and talking about his new yacht. However, Alice was left feeling conflicted.

She had always thought that once the threat from Vlad and Maria dissipated, they would return to New York City and re-establish AJE in Manhattan. But their London-based business was thriving, far beyond their expectations, and she and Jasper had just bought a house, which she had painstakingly decorated. They had established a network of friends and contacts in London. Edward's brother Emmett lived there, and they had a much closer relationship than she had to her sister, who lived in San Francisco. She had gotten used to life in Europe, and by the end of their three week trip, she found that she missed England.

"Darlin', you all right?" Jasper asked as he walked into their room that night as she was taking off her make-up.

"What?" She looked up at him in her dressing table mirror with her large, violet-blue eyes.

"OK, baby, what's wrong?" He walked over to her and placed his large hands on her smooth shoulders before spinning her around. When she hesitated, he pulled her into his arms. "Tell me. We're supposed to be happy, Alice."

"I am happy, Jazzy. I love you. Our business. Our home. Demetri's question about us returning to New York threw me."

"Do you wanna move back?"

She curled around him. He picked her up and took her over to their bed.

"We've had an amazing time here these past few weeks, and I always thought we'd return, but now, I'm not sure."

"Baby, you never steered us wrong before, and Edward and me, we trust you 100%. What does your gut instinct tell ya?"

Alice closed her eyes and cuddled into his chest.

"That we're Londoners now," she whispered. "New York's always gonna be special to me, but it's not home anymore. Cyndy lives in 'Frisco and loves it there. Momma and Daddy can't wait to retire to Boca. None of my family is here anymore. You don't have any ties here, and either does Edward, really."

"My feelings exactly."

Jasper proceeded to soothe his wife for the rest of the night until they had to leave for their flight back home.

Edward, meanwhile, was propping up the bar in Eclissi with Demetri, intending to sleep on the flight back to London.

"So, y'all didn't seem too sure when I asked about you returning here. You gonna stay put in London?"

"In my mind, it makes sense. We're doing exceptionally well, Dem. Our business is tailored for the European market, and it would take a lot of adjustment for me to return to New York life. My brother's in London and I've just bought an apartment. But we let Alice have the final say on the big decisions."

"I see. I ain't surprised. When I came to see you in London last year, you seemed to have quite the sweet set up."

"Yeah, and we're growing every year."

"Any girls back in London Town? Surely there's a pretty blonde thing or two seeing to you?"

"I'm in between blondes at the moment," Edward replied, just as the bar door opened, and a gaggle of tall, very thin girls tumbled in. They were dressed in short, tight black dresses under thick fur coats, with ostentatious gold jewellery and designer leather boots with high, metal, stiletto heels.

_"Dyadya Demitri!_" One yelled, in Russian, waving at him before gliding across the room. She was stunningly beautiful, with a riot of strawberry, blonde curls, ice-blue eyes, high, aristocratic cheekbones and a lean body; in heels, she was almost as tall as Edward. She looked vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't place her.

_"Moya dorogaya Tanya!" _Demetri replied in perfect Russian. "_Kak dela?"_

"Very good, zhank you!" she replied in clear, but heavily accented, English, eyeing up Edward blatantly. "Introduce me!" she demanded.

"Tanya, this is my friend and former employee, Edward Cullen. He's visiting from London. Edward, this is Tanya Denali. She's my cousin's daughter, but she calls me 'uncle.' From the Russian side of the family, obviously." Demetri looked between them knowingly and smiled to himself. _You two will have fun together for a while. _

"Nice to meet you, Tanya," Edward replied, holding out his hand politely. Tanya took it, and then pulled herself into him and kissed him on both cheeks, lingering for a moment before stepping back and looking him up and down wantonly. _Hmm ... she wants me. Good stuff. _

"What brings you to New York, Tanya? Are you staying long?"

"Flying visit. Donna Karan shoot for the spring-summer season. I fly back in morning."

"Where are you based?" asked Edward, suddenly realising why she was seemed familiar. _She's a fucking supermodel. Well-scored, Cullen. _

"I split my time between Lahndon and Pahr-ees."

"Interesting," he murmured. "May I get you a drink?"

"_Stolichnaya_. Neat. Triple."

"Coming right up."

-cc-

July 2008

The Stag was heaving as was typical of a summer Saturday. It was hot, sticky, and the wait at the bar was at least fifteen minutes. Zafrina had walked in for her usual pint, but almost walked out when she saw the crowd, with Bella, Seth and Harry all serving as fast as they could. The pub had a courtyard with a river view and was two minutes' walk from the Royal Shakespeare Company Theatre, right on the tourist trail.

"Zaf! Don't go!" called Bella when she spotted her leaving. Zafrina spun around fast so that her braids hit her chin. Bella beckoned her over to the bar's service hatch. "There's a matinee at the RSC this afternoon, which starts in around forty minutes. This lot will be gone soon." She gave her a pint of Duck Soup and a packet of crisps. "You can stay there until the crowd die down if you want."

"Cheers Chick."

Zafrina took a long drink of her beer and pulled out a rolled-up copy of _Hello! _Magazine from the back pocket of her jeans; it was her guilty pleasure. She became absorbed in the pictures and barely noticed the crowd die down until Bella tapped her on the wrist.

"Sorry about that. How are you?"

"Good, thanks. Actually, I have news! I'm expanding my Stratford parlour. I bought the empty store next door."

"Fantastic. I'm glad business is booming."

"Well, I wouldn't call it 'booming,' but it is growing, and I want to capitalise on the growing fashion for tattoos," Zafrina replied. "I need to do some advertising, really. Word of mouth isn't enough anymore."

"Have you thought of putting something into Warwickshire Life magazine? They have an excellent local circulation."

"Yeah, that would be perfect, but they won't write the advertisement for you, and I can't write for shit ..."

"Bella!" Harry called. "Can you take over service? Seth and I need to change up the Foster's and the Duck Soup." There were a small group of tourists waiting to be served.

"Sure." Bella shrugged apologetically at Zafrina who grinned at her. She had quite the soft spot for the pretty barmaid. _Shame she doesn't swing my way. _

Bella never did get back to her conversation with Zafrina, as the bar was busy. Zafrina finished her pint and packet of crisps, and returned to her parlour, leaving her magazine on the bar as she was done with it.

At eight o'clock, Bella finished her shift for the day. Her feet were aching; chatting to Zafrina for five minutes was pretty much the only break she had all day, so Harry let her go half an hour early. As she was leaving, Seth gave her the copy of _Hello!_

_"_Go on. You know that you want to gawp at the trashy celebs!"

"Thanks Seth." Bella rarely looked at celebrity magazines, usually preferring a book, but she couldn't think of a way to decline.

That evening she curled up in bed with a mug of cocoa and Elizabeth Gaskell's _North and South,_ but she was too tired to concentrate on the text. Eventually, she gave up and picked up the magazine.

**_Exclusive! All the pictures you want to see from Elton John's Fabulous White Tie and Tiara Ball!_**

Bella flicked through the pictures, from Elton John and his partner David Furnish, to Liz Hurley, to numerous models and socialites, most of whom Bella had never heard. They were all glamorous and fabulous in their eveningwear. It was the kind of event that Bella would avoid like the plague if ever presented with the opportunity to go, but she was intrigued by their beauty and the whole cult of celebrity.

She was almost at the end of the feature when her tired eyes were drawn to a picture at the bottom of the page.

_Russian supermodel and the face of Donna Karan's smash hit S/S 2008 campaign, Tanya Denali, with boyfriend of six months, music producer and DJ Edward Cullen. Turn to page 202 for all the goss!_

The picture was of the stunning Tanya in a long black and white evening gown, with white gloves, holding hands with Edward, dressed in a simple white tux, who was smiling down at her. Bella stared at the picture for an age, looking over and over again at the way Edward's thumb rested against Tanya's knuckles. They looked like a perfect match, and happy. So very happy.

Eventually, she turned to page 202. She waded through gossip about other celebrities until she reached a small snippet about Edward and Tanya.

_Tanya Denali looked resplendent in vintage Donna Karan on the night, but it was agreed by all that her glow was probably due to the delicious man on her arm. She and Edward Cullen met in New York through a mutual acquaintance, but despite being one of Europe's top urban music producers and a DJ who can command six-figure sums for club appearances, it appears that Edward is rather camera-shy and is not often seen out on the celeb circuit. _

_TD: Da, it's taken me a long time to persuade Edward to go to an event with me. But even he couldn't turn down Elton."_

_Hello!: So are you two serious?_

_TD: Things are looking good, although it's still early. We've talked about the future and both agree that we see us being together for a long time. _

Bella skimmed the rest of the article, which mainly talked about Tanya's appearances on TV before the tears fell and the magazine slipped from her fingers and onto the floor. She cried herself to sleep.

-cc-

"What the fuck were you thinking, Tanya?! You tell fucking _Hello! _magazine that we're talking long-term, but yet, you're fucking both Santiago _and _Gianna?!" Edward yelled, referring to Tanya's male agent and her female publicist.

"It's just sex, dahling! Why can't you see that?" She yelled back. "Why do you get so sentimental about fucking, when you don't even want me in your apartment? You go mad when I try to leave toothbrush here!"

"I believe in fidelity. I believe in loyalty. I believe in taking the time to get to know somebody before allowing them into every aspect of your life!"

"And I believe that sex and love are separate!" she cried, before softening her expression. "Dahling, I have thought this way for a long time, but if it means so much to you, I will try this 'monogamy' thing. You are special, Edward. I don't want to lose you."

Edward was tired of serial dating and one-night stands. Tanya, despite her narcissistic tendencies, was intelligent and funny. He got on well with her outside of the bedroom, where she was one of the better inamoratas he'd had in recent years.

"I guess if you can try that for me, I can try to be a bit more reasonable about letting you leave a couple of things here."

Edward and Tanya spent the rest of the evening making up, but deep down, Edward knew that it would be only be a matter of time before both of them would fail to reach a compromise and that one or both of them would want out.

-cc-

On Monday morning, at 10am, Zafrina opened her Stratford tattoo parlour and was shocked to see Bella on her doorstep, clutching a laptop bag in one hand, and the drawing of the angel in the other.

Bella hadn't slept all weekend. Seeing Edward with Tanya Denali in the magazine had killed any hope she'd had for finding her way back to him, and there could be no other man who'd take his place. He would always be her _ange,_ the man who owned her heart, and now she wanted to see it in ink.

"Bella! Come in, Chick! Are you all right?"

Bella followed Zafrina into the shop, and to a cherry-red, leather sofa in an enclosed area covered with framed pictures of people's tattoos, all the handiwork of Zafrina and her tattoo artists. Bella's eye was drawn to a faded photo of a swirling black-ink tattoo of a swan. _Wow, it's beautiful. Zaf's very talented. _

"Yes, no, I don't know."

"What can I do for you?"

"You said that you could tattoo this for me?" She handed over the picture.

"Of course, but are you sure? Why now? I've been offering for months ..."

"I'm sure. I've thought about it a lot recently, and I want you to do it. But ..."

"But what?"

"I can't afford to pay very much for it, even with the discount you offered before. So I thought we could do a trade."

"What, beer for your tatt?" Zafrina laughed.

"Actually, when I'm not working at The Stag, I'm a freelance features writer."

"Really? Kept that quiet didn't you?"

"Yeah." Bella smiled sheepishly. "I thought that if I offered to write an article and advertisements for this place and you liked them, perhaps we could come to an arrangement on the price."

"Chick, if you can write a piece on my tattoo parlours that are as pretty, eloquent and sharp as your fine self, I'll do you it for you for free. Deal?"

"Deal."

-cc-

* * *

**AN: As always, thank you for reading. Chapter 29 will be posted next Sunday. **

**The beers mentioned in the text, Kingmaker and Duck Soup, aren't made-up names. They're actual beers made by the Warwickshire Beer Company, and are both absolutely delicious, rich brews, if you're into beer. **


	29. Chapter 29

**AN: Hi everybody, hope you're having a great day. Thank you for all your reviews and comments. I realise that quite a few of you were intrigued by the scenes with Tanya; they are setting up for an incident to come in a few chapters' time, and serve as a contrast between Edward's attitude to relationships before Bella came back into his life, and what he is like with her. **

**Also, for those of you thinking you'd missed something- Bella's tattoo was not mentioned before the last chapter. **

**Anyway, I know a lot of you have been looking forward to the Halloween Party, and so here it is. This is a longer chapter at 7000+ words. As always, supermassive thanks to SunflowerFran, my lovely beta! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's ****_Persuasion._**** I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-Nine**

Halloween 2012

Four days had passed since the twins' birthday party, and Bella was still preoccupied with the conversation she'd heard between her father and Emmett. She was immensely curious about details of the relationship between her sister and her beloved's brother, and also very conflicted. She understood why Rosalie and Charlie had insisted on the relationship being kept from her, but that didn't stop her from feeling annoyed and frustrated. Yet she was also delighted that Rosalie had finally found love again, and the more she thought about it, the more she acknowledged that Emmett and Rosalie were exceptionally well suited. She decided not to tell Edward yet because she understood implicitly that the fewer people who knew the better, although she hated keeping a secret from him, especially one that involved his brother. She also needed to sort out her own feelings about the situation before she could talk about it.

Edward had noticed that Bella was a little distracted, but didn't want to push her when she said it was nothing. In every other way, they continued to be ecstatically happy together. They were making great progress with the tracks for their new artist, Alistair Kinsella, and had three new writing contracts with established artists coming up in November and early December. Although Bella herself did not play an instrument or sing, Edward was struck by the depth and passion she brought to his music via her words; every song they wrote together made him fall in love with her a little more.

Bella and Edward were so busy writing and producing for AJE's own artists that they had largely managed to avoid The Hunters and the large production crew from Prince Records who had taken over the live studio for the week. Jacob was conspicuous by his absence, and Alice had managed to ascertain that he was in Jersey on business, but was returning in time for the Halloween party. Edward continued to remain apprehensive about the event as he would be spending a lot of the evening coordinating the music and DJ-ing. He would not be able to spend the whole night by her side, and he dreaded seeing anyone, especially Jacob Black, hit on his girl.

Jacob hadn't contacted Bella since the weekend of Angela's birthday party, and she believed he had lost interest, and for that she was grateful. She wasn't sure how she would have coped being bombarded by texts and calls from him. She wasn't especially looking forward to the party because it wasn't her scene and she was afraid of getting overwhelmed by the number of people and the noise. Her apprehension wasn't helped by Alice, who had been bouncing around the studios all week, excitedly organising everything. However, Angela and Ben were coming, which assuaged her, as were Siobhan and Liam, and Carlisle and Esme, although they wouldn't stay too late as Esme got tired very easily.

On the day of the party, Bella and Rosalie finished work early and headed to Alice and Jasper's cottage to get ready with Alice. Bella had tried to get out of wearing a costume at all, but Alice had insisted, even going so far as to procure a black and gold brocade coat and fake cutlass for her, to form a girl pirate costume based on Elizabeth Swann from Pirates of the Caribbean. Bella wore it over her work outfit of black shirt, tight, black, skinny jeans and flat, brown boots, and then bound it at the waist with a wide black and gold,leather belt, to which she attached the cutlass.

Rosalie shimmied into a Wonder Woman costume with high, red patent stiletto shoes, whilst Alice was going, fittingly, as Tinkerbelle in a light red and gold fairy costume. Jasper was going as Peter Pan, although had managed to persuade his wife that he could do so without wearing tights, instead opting for cropped brown cords and a distressed red velvet tunic with a black sash belt.

"O.M.G!" Alice squealed as she saw her dear friends dressed up. "You guys look fabulous!"

"As do you!" Rosalie and Bella exclaimed together before turning to each other and yelling "Jinx!" Like they used to as kids. Suddenly Bella turned away, and Rosalie realised that she still wasn't fully forgiven, although Bella had been talking to her more over the past few days.

Alice picked up on the tension and tried to nip it in the bud.

"Champagne?" She picked up the bottle from a cooler and poured three glasses.

"Thank you," murmured Bella, feeling bad for the change in atmosphere. "Uh, but I think I'm going to go find Edward for a few minutes before the party gets underway."

"Sure, see you later."

"Bye Bellsie," Rosalie said resignedly.

Bella headed out to Edward's cottage and knocked on the door. He opened it a few seconds later, still wearing jeans and a Ramones t-shirt, his mobile phone cradled between his ear and neck. He beckoned her inside.

"Carlisle, Bella's here. I've got to go. Yeah, just park by the cottages. The security guys already know to look out for your Merc. Bye."

"Hey, you're not dressed yet."

"No, I've just had one phone call after another this afternoon," he sighed. "But, fucking hell, you look stunning!" He placed his hands on her hips and drew her closer.

"Edward, I'm wearing the outfit I wore to work this morning with a weird-looking coat, belt and boots."

"You're always stunning to me, love." He nuzzled his nose into her neck. "Besides, the more clothes you wear, the more I want to take them off."

"Soon, _mon ange._" She tilted her head towards him and kissed his jaw. "What are you wearing tonight?"

"No idea. Alice thrust a garment bag and a box at me an hour ago and told me to wear them. Care to help me get dressed?"

"Of course." They strolled into the bedroom hand in hand. Edward picked up the garment bag and unzipped it, whilst Bella stood behind him, watching his rippling musculature move. Her mind became occupied with one thought. _Mine. He's mine. _On instinct, she stepped forward and lightly placed her hands on his ass, causing him to still.

"Bella?"

"Just helping." She kept one hand on his firm behind and pulled his t-shirt over his head with the other. Edward pulled it off completely and tossed it onto the floor. Bella stepped closer until her lips were pressed against his back.

"Oh fuck ..." She had hardly touched him, but it was more than enough to entice his body into reacting.

Bella pressed herself into him, and he could feel the swell of her breasts against his back, along with the slightly rough material of her coat. She continued to pepper his back and shoulders with small kisses, but slipped her hands around his waist; one hand travelled up, exploring his chest with fingertips while the other travelled south, creeping closer and closer to the hard bulge that was nudging the fly of his jeans.

When she finally cupped him, he growled loudly and thrust against her hand before turning around in her arms. Bella's eyes drifted across the strong planes of his chest. Edward watched her face as she came across the swan tattoo that graced his skin. He wasn't disappointed when her mouth dropped in surprise.

"You have a tattoo?" Her fingers traced the design. "Edward, it's a swan?"

"Yeah, My swan. My. Beautiful. Eternal. Swan."

"Oh my ..." she choked back a sob.

"Because my beautiful swan owns me and my heart," he added.

"When?" she whispered, looking between him and the ink.

"The day before we were supposed to run away."

She kissed the skin over his heart before tracing the line of it with her tongue, leaving Edward groaning with desire, completely at her mercy.

"Mine," She bit her lip, and with a new fire in her dark brown eyes, she pushed him onto the bed. "Only mine." _I hope you love my ink as much as I love yours ..._

"Yes! Oh Bella, love. I'm yours, and you're mine."

"Lie back," she instructed. When he complied, she crawled on top of him and whispered in his ear, "_Tu est mon ange du ciel ..."_

"Oh hell, the French ..."

She started unbuttoning his jeans.

_ "Tu es toujours dans ma coeur…"_

"Bella … oh, please …"

She pulled them down slowly until they ended up in a heap by his t-shirt. So did his black boxer briefs, exposing his hard, long member, glistening with pre-cum.

_"Je suis à toi, et tu es à moi …" _

She promptly leaned forward and sucked the head of his cock into her mouth, pressing the rough of her tongue into the engorged flesh, swirling it around slowly.

"Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!" Edward cried.

Bella gripped him at the base of his hard shaft before taking him deeper into her mouth. She had just one previous experience of giving oral sex, but she did what felt right, and took Edward's deep, guttural moans as a sign that she was doing it adequately.

Edward couldn't believe how pleasurable Bella's mouth felt on him, and how sexy she looked bobbing up and down, making little sucking and grunting sounds as she tried to take him deeper. For years, the memory of her going down on him had got him hard and got him off quickly. He even imagined it was her when other women were doing the job. Now that it was Bella sucking him once again, he was doubly affected.

"I'm really close, love." She glanced up to show she'd heard him, and then continued sucking and licking and slurping over his dick, loving his taste and the power she currently held. She used her spare hand to fondle each of his balls in turn. The extra stimulation tipped him over the edge, and he spilled thick spurts of cream into her mouth. She gagged a little, involuntarily, causing him to sit up in alarm, but she then smiled at him as she swallowed, looking triumphant.

Edward could only stare back at her in shock, and her smile faded.

"You didn't like it?"

"Bella, I fucking loved it. The best I've ever had. I just wasn't expecting it."

"Seriously, the best you've ever had?" He held out his arms, and she crawled over.

"Yeah, up there with the last time you did that to me." He combed his fingers through her hair and brought his lips to hers briefly. "Now, when can I return the favour?" He let go of her hair as his hands ran down her back to her ass. "Did it affect you?"

"It did, _mon ange._ I'm so wet right now, butyou're still not dressed. We're going to be late, and Alice is going to go mad. I don't really want you to rush when you're doing it to me."

"I hate not reciprocating, love." He stroked her bottom, but she got up instead of rolling over as he hoped.

"You will, Edward." She ran her fingers through his hair. "Over and over and over again!"

After Edward had changed into his costume, a battered dark green and gold brocade coat and black jeans with a pair of men's boots, a black bandanna for his hair, a fake parrot to perch on his shoulder and a cutlass, which made him look somewhat like Jack Sparrow, they headed to the party. Edward went to find Mike and the production crew to get the technical aspects sorted out, whilst Bella went to find Bree and Diego, who had just arrived from Belfast.

It didn't take long before guests from far and wide arrived and the party was in full swing. Alice had spared no expense. She organised for a row of chocolate fountains, a vodka ice luge, and blackjack and roulette tables. There were a Ferris wheel, bumper cars and a haunted house in the gardens. She also put together a cabaret show and got a collection of AJE's artists to perform a set. There was a dance floor and two free bars, including one just for cocktails.

Bella chatted to Bree and Diego for a while until she left to get ready for her set, and then Siobhan and Liam, and Carlisle and Esme. They occupied a cosy corner of the bar which was set up as a lounge, chatting and enjoying each other's company while listening to Edward DJ. She was having such a good time that she almost forgot that Jacob was supposed to be making an appearance.

Emmett arrived at the party with a sense of apprehension. Edward hadn't invited him, but Alice had called and begged him to come, whining that she hadn't seen him in 'like, forever', so he relented. Alice and Jasper were Edward's best friends, but they were also some of his closest friends, and he had been so busy with work that he'd not had time to make new ones in the area, other than Rosalie, who he was dying to see in her Wonder Woman costume. He hoped Edward wouldn't be too annoyed that he'd turned up.

After psyching himself up, Emmett walked into the lobby and picked up a glass of champagne from a waiter. He was about to follow the general direction of people moving towards the music in the auditorium when his mobile went off. He fished it out of the belt pocket on his costume. He had come dressed as Mr T from The A-Team, knowing that it was one of Rosalie's favourite programmes from her childhood.

"Emmett Cullen."

_"Hi, it's Seth Clearwater. Sorry to ring you when you're off duty, boss, but Jared asked me to phone."_

"No problem Seth. Hang on a sec."

Emmett ducked into one of the empty enclosed seating areas adjacent to the lobby and shut the glass door to ensure nobody could hear his conversation.

"So what's going on?"

_"Two things. Ben Cheney's office just delivered their report, and more interestingly, we had a phone call from Mary Matthews."_

"The accountant who did the original forensic accounting report? How? I thought you said that she was abroad."

_"She lives in Portugal these days, but she flies back to visit friends and family a few times a year. She happened to have coffee with one of her old colleagues, who mentioned that our paralegals had been looking for her. She got in touch, and bottom line is she kept every single thing from the original investigation, right down to her Post-It notes."_

"Which means ...?"

"Jared thinks we might have enough information to charge. Mary Matthews' has evidence that Billy Black was aware his son was involved and both the old and new forensic accounting reports prove that Jacob was aware and fully complicit in Royce King's defrauding and embezzlement game."

"That's great, but where is King?"

"Jersey Police are tracking him down. We know that Billy and Jacob Black are in Warwickshire though so we could pick them up ..."

"No. We have to have the three of them arrested simultaneously. If we stagger it, then Jacob Black will have time to warn King, and he's already proved to be a slippery fucker."

_"Got it. Should we have Warwickshire Police monitor the whereabouts of Jacob and Billy?"_

"Yes, definitely."

Emmett glanced out of the glass door to see Jacob Black himself, arriving at the party, striding in like he owned the place, in a navy suit with a pinstriped shirt and tie, his dark hair slicked back like Christian Bale's portrayal of Patrick Bateman in American Psycho. Just to make sure everyone knew who he had come as, he had pinned a piece of paper to the back of his suit, with the word 'Psycho' on it. Emmett had never met him, but had looked at photos enough to recognise him instantly.

"And I can tell you exactly where Jacob Black is right now."

Jessica arrived on Mike's arm. They had come dressed as Bonnie and Clyde, and made a beeline for her cousins. They caught up with Rosalie first, who was on the dance floor with Makenna and Tia from the production team. They danced for a while, through a few tracks spun by Edward, and then through Bree's short set.

"Where's Bella?" Jessica yelled over the music. "Who did she come as?"

"A pirate. I think she's in the lounge area, or else she might be by the chocolate fountains ..." Rosalie gestured behind her, but her voice trailed off as she caught sight of Emmett winding his way through the crowds, flanked by Alice and Eric.

"Hi! Oh Jess, it's so great to see you!" Alice squealed, clearly having partaken in a drink or two. "I'm so happy you could make it and I totally dig the costume! This is Emmett, Edward's brother. You guys haven't met, have you? Anyway, Em, this is Jessica, our former intern who now works in drugs counselling. She's Bella and Rosalie's cousin. You've met Rosalie our receptionist-slash-super administrator, right? This is Emmett. He's Edward's brother and like, a super-duper lawyer!"

"Whoa, slow down short stuff! Damn, you talk fast when you're boozed up! I forgot about that!" Emmett laughed. "Nice to meet you Jessica." He shook her hand.

"Nice to meet you. I'm afraid we were just off, but I'm sure I'll catch you round." Jessica and Mike scuttled off.

"Nice to see you again, Rosalie." He held out his hand, and Rosalie took it tentatively.

"You too, Emmett, love the costume. A-Team?"

"Spot on."

Alice looked between the two, and was shocked to see a hint of pink on Rosalie's cheeks that hadn't been there before. _What's this I see? Rosalie likes him! They look fabulous together! They should totally go together! _

"You know what, guys? I am totally jonesing for some chocolate scrumptiousness right now! I'm gonna head for the fountains, but you guys should dance! I know this is one of Rosalie's favourite tracks!"

Edward was playing a remix of Run DMC's _It's Tricky._ It was indeed one of her favourites.

"Err ... do you want to?" Emmett held out his hand.

"Sure."

"Cool! See you later! Come on Eric!" Alice spun away.

Emmett and Rosalie danced as chastely as they could manage, but it was difficult. All Emmett wanted to do was to pull her close and run his hands up and down her. Rosalie wanted to bump, grind and do all manner of things too inappropriate for a public place, whilst whispering erotic words of love into his ear.

"You look amazing, by the way," Emmett told her.

"Ditto, handsome. So much so that once the song finishes I'm going to walk away otherwise I won't be held accountable for my actions."

"It's not going to be for much longer, gorgeous."

"Really?" Rosalie replied hopefully.

"Really. The ducks are lining up. But I can't say anymore."

"You've said what I needed to hear."

They didn't know that someone was watching them from the side of the dance floor. Bella saw them interact from her spot near the chocolate fountains, where she and Esme were indulging. Emmett and Rosalie were only holding hands lightly, but they moved around each other completely in sync. They looked perfect together, but Bella could make out a hint of sadness in both their features.

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, Alice appeared, jumping up and down, holding a kebab skewer of marshmallows and fruit dipped in dark chocolate.

"OMG! OMG! I have had the best idea!"

"Wow Alice, how much sugar have you had?" asked Esme, her hands resting on her large bump.

Alice shrugged.

"Who knows … Anyway, look!" She pointed at Emmett and Rosalie. "Don't they look great together?"

Esme appraised the couple.

"Maybe? Perhaps, though, you should let them decide? What do you think, Bella?"

"Mmm ..." Bella mumbled nonchalantly. "If Rosalie wants something, she'll move heaven and earth to get it. If she likes Emmett, he won't know what's hit him."

"Bellsie!" Jessica's loud squeal interrupted. "I've been looking for you, like, everywhere! How are you?"

"Hey Jess. You look remarkably well!" The two hugged. "So, how are things at the drugs counselling centre?"

"It's so great! I was just telling Mike, wasn't I, baby, about how ..." Jessica spent the next few minutes talking about her job excitedly, and Bella was quite happy to see her so fired up and passionate about something with substance.

Mike ducked away to talk to some friends. Jessica moved on to talk about her new flat in Leamington Spa, which she was sharing with another girl, but just as she started, her smiling features dropped.

"Jess?" Jess flicked her eyes upwards, and Bella turned around to see Jacob lolloping towards them. "Great," she muttered under her breath. She glanced back at Jessica who had gone pale. "Just smile, say hi and then say you're going to find Mike, OK? I'll get rid of him." Jessica nodded and plastered on a fake smile.

"Bella Swan!" Jacob cried. "How are you? You look so fucking amazing! A sexy girl pirate or something!"

"Right. This is my cousin Jessica. You might not remember her since she would have been twelve when you guys met last time. Jess, do you remember Jacob Black?"

Jessica, despite feeling shaken and queasy, managed to heed Bella's advice and kept smiling.

"Sure, hi".

"Hi, beautiful." He turned back to Bella. "So, Bella, I got you a drink. It's a 'Sloe Comfortable Screw.'"

"Bella, I'm going to go find Mike."

"OK, see you later." She waved Jessica off. Alice and Esme had moved back to the lounge, so she was all alone.

"So I finally get you to myself. You know, I was really disappointed not to catch up with you that night a few weeks ago when I was in town." He tried to give her the drink, and it hovered in his outstretched hand for a moment until Bella took it and put it down on the table behind her.

"Yeah, well, I was busy, like I said."

"So, what are you up to after the party? Maybe we could catch up then. Have our own 'after-party.'"

"Rosalie and I have to relieve my dad from babysitting duty."

"Both of you? Surely Rosalie can do it by herself."

"I told you, I _like _being there."

"Bella, what do I have to do to get you to go out with me? I know I fucked up before by not calling you when I left for Jersey. But I'm really trying."

"Jacob, I'd like you to stop 'really trying'. Your father and my father are best friends, and you're a childhood friend of mine, so our paths are always going to cross," she began, crossing her fingers behind her back, "but I've told you several times now that I'm not interested in a relationship with you. Why do you keep pushing?"

"Because I think we could be great together. Like you said, our fathers are best friends. Remember how delighted Charlie and Renee were when we got together last time?" he replied, stepping a little closer. Bella immediately stepped backwards.

Renee had, indeed, been delighted. She had always had a soft spot for Jacob, often lamenting that she would have loved to have had a son just like him.

"My father just wants me to be happy, and I don't agree that we would work in that way."

"But your mother ..."

"Her opinion stopped counting the day she walked out on us."

"Geez, sorry. Touchy subject or what?"

Bella was fast losing her temper, but she held onto it.

"Yes, very. Anyway, how are The Hunters getting on with recording? I haven't seen them yet to say hello. Are they here?"

Bella managed to divert the conversation onto the band's progress, all the while avoiding the drink Jacob had brought her.

Jessica, somewhat panicked, felt deeply uncomfortable leaving Bella alone with Jacob, even though there were plenty of people nearby. She went to find Rosalie, and eventually tracked her down in the lounge with Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Siobhan, Liam, Carlisle and Esme, and they had also been joined by Bree and Diego.

"Hey Jess! Have a seat! Did ya wanna drink darlin'?" offered Jasper, holding up both sparkling grape juice and champagne.

"Actually, I really need to borrow Rosie for a second."

"OK. What's up?" They stepped out of the lounge, but Emmett, perched on the end of the couch, could still hear them.

"So, Jacob's here, and he's talking to Bella at the chocolate fountains. She's by herself with him! He brought her a cocktail! I'm super-scared Rosie. I know I shouldn't have left her, but she told me to, and ..."

"Hey Jessie, I need you not to worry. You stay here and chat to Alice, and I'll wander over to interrupt."

Jessica's shoulders sagged with relief.

"OK, Rosie."

Rosalie excused herself and headed over towards her sister. Emmett wasn't entirely sure what was going on or why Jessica was so particularly concerned, but he did know that all hell would break loose if Edward spotted Jacob-the-dickhead talking to his girl and overreacted as he was prone to do. He glanced towards the DJ booth, where Edward's eyes were trained on a spot in the distance. The chocolate fountains.

_Shit. _

"Jazz, can I borrow you a second?"

"Sure, man." Jasper got up and followed Emmett out of the lounge. "What's up?"

Emmett pointed at Edward, who had jumped out of the DJ booth and was making his way across the dance floor, elbowing people out of his way.

"He's about to kill Jacob Black for talking to Bella."

"Oh hell!"

Edward had never known rage or jealousy like the green fire that consumed him when he looked across the room to the bar and the chocolate fountains, to see Jacob Black talking to Bella. He expected that they would exchange a couple of pleasantries and then she would walk away. But she didn't walk away. He watched in horror as Jacob offered her a tall, orange cocktail, which she seemed to accept.

_Why the fuck is she taking a drink from him? She knows he might have spiked it!_

They continued to talk, and although they didn't seem to be flirting, he couldn't help but wonder why, if she couldn't stand him, and she suspected he might have drugged her before, she let the conversation continue.

It was when Jacob Black took a step closer to Bella, and she stepped back, that Edward reacted.

_That fucking shit had better not upset my Bella! She's my love and I won't have him hurt her again! _

He yelled to Benjamin to take over on the decks, vaulted over the hatch and started to make his way over to claim his girl. He chose to walk through the people dancing, which slowed him down, making him even angrier.

He had gotten fairly close to them when he suddenly felt the solid bulk of his brother in front of him.

"Bro, we need to talk!"

"Not now Emmett!"

"Edward, listen, man, you're about to do something extraordinarily stupid," Jasper warned from behind.

"It's none of your business! Stay out of it!"

"We're here, in a room full our artists, the press, and your very pregnant sister. The last thing we want is any of them to witness you attacking someone, even a cheese-dick snake, like Black."

Edward was still raging. His friend made sense, but the urge to plough his fist into Jacob and cart Bella off was riding high. Emmett could see it in his brother's face, and decided to get him out.

"Come on, let's go. I really do need to talk to you, and if you stay here, you're going to do something you regret."

Before Edward had a chance to reply or break free, Emmett grabbed him by the arm and pulled him out of the room so fast that if he put up any resistance, Edward would have dislocated his shoulder. Jasper directed them to Edward's office.

"WHAT THE FUCK, EMMETT?" he roared when Emmett finally let him go. "You didn't need to fucking frogmarch me out of there!"

"Yes, I did!"

"You don't know ..."

"Jacob Black was talking to Bella. We saw, Baby Bro."

"How do you know Jacob Black?"

"Err, I don't. I mean, I've never met him, but I've heard of him."

"From who, how?" Edward was starting to panic again. "I've got to get her away from that douche!"

"Edward, you gotta calm down. You're gonna have an aneurysm, man!" Jasper told him. "Do you really wanna make Bella make that sad, disappointed puppy face she does, by going out there and making a scene?" Uncertainty crossed Edward's handsome features. He knew the face well, and it got him every time. Bella never made it deliberately, which made it all the more effective. He backed off a little. "Now, I'm gonna go find out what's going down back there. You stay here and talk to your bro."

Jasper walked out, leaving Edward and Emmett staring at each other, Edward breathing heavily. Emmett eventually broke eye contact and started looking around the room, eventually spotting the small drinks fridge.

"I sure as shit hope you've got some beer in here," he said, getting up. "Score!" He passed Edward one and took one for himself.

"I don't understand. Bella can't stand Jacob, but she must have been talking to him for at least five minutes. Why doesn't she tell him to bugger off?" Edward asked quietly after a minute.

"Because she's a nice girl, a good girl, and he's the son of her father's best friend. She represents your company who are being paid a shit-ton of wonga for his lame-ass band to use her lyrics and rent your studios ..."

"How do you know?" Emmett was silent, realising that he'd given too much away. "Emmett, how the fuck do you know all that?"

Edward got up and started pacing.

"If you calm down a second, I'll tell you, but you have to keep a lid on itbecause it's an extremely delicate situation. Are you prepared to listen?"

"Yes."

Emmett explained to his brother about the case against Royce King and the need for Bella, Rosalie and Charlie to keep up pretences that their family considered the Black family close friends while the Crown Prosecution Service investigated.

"You see, Bro? Even though Bella hates having to interact with him, she's doing it for her family. Just like Charlie Swan is keeping up pretences with Billy Black. Bella said in her statement that she would do whatever was necessary to help with the investigation and prosecution if it meant that the future of her sister, niece and nephew could be secure again."

"She only told me about what Rosalie's ex-husband did, and that the investigation had been re-opened. Why didn't she tell me about the rest of it?"

"I can think of several reasons, baby Bro," Emmett replied. "When all this started, you were barely speaking to her. Now that you're back together, she probably doesn't want to spoil it by bringing up the heavy stuff because she lost you once before. That, and because we asked her not to tell anyone, even her closest friends."

"So why tell me all this now?"

"To stop you from losing it with Bella. I don't ever want you to doubt her because she's it for you, and almost everything that girl does is for the sake of other people or with others in mind. I was wrong to keep quiet about stuff that had to do with Bella before, and I'm so sorry. I'm not making that mistake again."

Edward took in his brother's sincere explanation and apology. _I've missed my big Bro. _

"I'm sorry I stopped talking to you. I was so angry about the whole situation and confused, and it was easy to dump all the blame on you, when actually, most of it was my fault. I overreacted that day on the phone with Bella and didn't hear her out. That's why I lost her. What happened on 9/11 was just the icing on a messed-up cake."

"Does that mean we're okay?" Emmett asked, his voice a little shaky.

"We're okay," Edward replied, grinning at his brother.

"Thank fuck for that!" Emmett grabbed Edward into a man-hug. "Cullen Crush! Yeah!"

"Now, Em, I need to tell you about something else Jacob Black might have done, so you'll understand why it's so important that he's never in the same room as any girl we care about."

While Edward and Emmett talked, Bella was unaware of how close Jacob had come to having his lights punched out by her boyfriend in front of five hundred party guests. Rosalie sauntered over to her sister, grabbed her arm and managed to pull her away, claiming that she needed the loo and that she didn't want to go alone. Bella was surprised as Rosalie wasn't one of those girls who needed company to go to the ladies', but she was happy to have any excuse to escape Jacob.

"Wait, Bella, don't forget your drink!" Jacob called as they were leaving. Bella turned around and was tempted to say she didn't want it, but decided to take it, thinking that she could give it to Inspector Kennedy to analyse.

"Thanks."

"See you later," Jacob called, but Bella didn't reply. She followed Rosalie into the admin corridor and to her office.

"Rosie, I thought you needed the loo? Why are we here?"

"You haven't had any of that drink have you?"

"Do you think I'm daft or something? Of course I didn't touch the drink. You didn't need to 'rescue' me, you know! I'm not five years old. I was handling things. "

"Bella, please, I didn't mean it like that. Jessica came to find me when she left you talking to Jacob, worrying about leaving you alone with him. I said I'd intervene."

"Oh, right." Bella wasn't sure what to feel.

Rosalie slumped back on Bella's tub sofa.

"I wish I could make things right between us again, Bellsie. I wish I could take back all the mistakes I made, and I bloody wish I could tell you what's been going on. I hope that when it all comes out, you'll understand."

Bella sat down next to her sister and took her hand. She was tempted to tell Rosalie that she knew exactly what was going on, but decided to keep quiet. _It's not the time or place to be having a conversation about her and Emmett and the impact on the case. _

Rosalie gasped in surprise.

"I'm sorry. I love you Rosie, I really do. I don't want things to be weird either. It just hurt to feel excluded in my own family. You know that I'll understand, and I'll support you whatever it is."

"I know. Even though so many exciting things are happening for you right now, your dedication to me and the kids has been unfaltering. If I wasn't under strict instructions not to tell you what's been happening, I would be sharing every single detail."

Bella leaned forward and hugged her sister. Rosalie relaxed. _I've got my sister back. _

"What should I do about this drink then? I mean, it's evidence, right? Dad's always talking about the importance of preserving evidence and the hard-nosed facts."

"The drink needs to go into a plastic bottle and the glass into a baggie so it can be tested for prints and DNA. You should also get a DVD of tonight's CCTV footage from the security people."

After preserving the evidence and storing it in Bella's office fridge, they headed out to the lobby to meet Angela and Ben who were just arriving.

"Bella, you look so cool!" Angela exclaimed.

"Thanks Ang, so do you guys!" They were dressed as a zombie bride and groom. "And thanks for coming!"

"Are you kidding Bella, she's been so excited about tonight!" Ben exclaimed. "Sorry we're late. A report I was supervising needed to be dealt with before I could leave."

"I'm just glad you're here now. Come on!"

Bella showed them around the studios and then into the main auditorium, before introducing them to Alice, Jasper, and several more new friends and colleagues. Bree and Diego, as well as a few other artists, stopped by to chat and Bella was delighted to introduce them to Angel and Ben.

Angela was having a wonderful time. She was so happy to see her friend bask in her success, and delighted the people around her appeared to appreciate the talents that had lain hidden for so many years. Edward and his brother joined them after a while, and when his eyes met Bella's, both their faces lit up like Roman candles. They didn't sit together or even say anything to each other, but it was clear they were connected deeply as if threaded together by invisible strings.

The group in the lounge had become involved in a jovial discussion about the various costumes on display, when Rosalie suddenly nudged Bella with her shoulder. Bella followed Rosalie's line of vision and Angela watched as a tall dark haired man appeared to be striding confidently towards them. Bella then whispered into the ear of one of the assistants and he got up and diverted the man away.

Angela suddenly felt sick, hot and cold. Her heart started hammering in her chest, and her ears started to ring. _I know him. I know that face. _She was assaulted by a memory.

**Flashback- Angela's birthday three and a half weeks earlier:**

Angela was at the bar when her mobile pinged.

**_So sorry, Ang. Rosalie called. Gemma needs to go hospital. Have left out the back. Call you tomorrow B xxx_**

Angela was disappointed, but not surprised since it sounded as though Gemma was feeling poorly. She headed to the bar for a refill of her Gin and Tonic. There was a bit of a wait, but she knew Harry had seen her, so she knew it wouldn't be long. Suddenly a very tall, dark-haired guy sidled up to her.

"Hi." He was dressed in a designer grey marl jacket, white shirt and designer jeans, with shiny, pointy black boots. He obviously thought a lot of himself.

"Err ... hi."

"I got you this. You're drinking G+T, right?" He placed a large G+T on the counter.

"Yeah, thank you, but ..."

"So, you must be the prettiest girl in this bar tonight. I imagine that you're the prettiest girl wherever you go, though. Have you ever done any modelling?" He nudged the drink towards her.

"Um," Angela felt her cheeks burn with blush. "Uh, no ... look," she was about to tell him that she was married when Ben placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Darling, everything OK?"

"Yes, babe, this nice man bought me a drink."

"How kind of you to buy my _wife_ a drink on her birthday," Ben responded through gritted teeth.

"Your wife?" Ben picked up Angela's left hand and kissed her wedding ring.

The interloper had apparently not seen it before and backed off immediately, although he looked annoyed, and stomped out of the bar, muttering something about losing out twice in one night.

"Sorry, babe."

"What are you sorry for? Being so beautiful that a guy hit on you?"

Angela laughed, picked up the Gin and Tonic and took a couple of gulps of it before once again joining her group of friends.

**End flashback**

"Angela, Angela, what's wrong?" Ben's voice floated into her ears.

"Can't breathe ..." she murmured. "Need to get out of here!"

"OK, just relax, darling. Bella!"

"Come on Ang, let's get you somewhere quieter" cried Bella.

Once out in Bella's office and away from _him, _Angela felt better instantly.

"What was all that about, Angela?" asked Ben, his face etched with worry.

Angela explained what she remembered.

"It was after that drink that I began to feel strange. I didn't even make the connection that he had given it to me."

"I think you had a panic attack, Ang," suggested Bella. "I think it was brought on by seeing Jacob."

"Jacob? You know him?"

"Oh Ang, I need to tell you a story, and afterwards I'm hoping you and Ben will help me nail that bastard."

-cc-

"Hey, thank you so much for doing this, guys," Bella said to Angel and Ben as they made their way up the steps to the police station the afternoon after the AJE Halloween party. She had delayed going to London so she could go with them. She hugged them both. "Did you sleep well?"

"So-so," Ben replied.

"Yeah, I just feel so ... violated," Angela murmured. Bella squeezed her hand. "Anyway, let's get this over with."

They walked through the doors and were swiftly shown through to Colin Kennedy's office.

"Isabella, how are you?" The Chief Inspector shook her hand warmly.

"Thank you for seeing us on such short notice. These are my dear friends Angela and Ben Cheney. We think that Angela may have had her drink spiked as well."

"Thank you for being brave enough to come forward, Mrs Cheney. Is it all right if I ask you some questions?"

"Yes, of course," Angela replied, her voice hoarse.

"Whatever we can do to help, sir," echoed Ben.

Over the next hour, Angela and Ben gave statements about what happened on the night of her birthday and Angela's recollection at the Halloween party the night before.

"Until I saw his face, I didn't even consider the possibility that my drink had been spiked, even though Bella mentioned the similarity to Jessica's collapse. God, I feel so stupid!"

"You are a victim, Mrs Cheney. It's not your fault."

"But if I'd thought about it at the time, the doctors could have done a blood test. Now there's no proof I had drugs in my system."

"What I don't get is why the doctors didn't test for it in the first place. They tested Jessica."

"But that was in London, Mr Cheney. In central London, each hospital treats around ten cases of GHB poisoning, either by recreational use or drink spiking, every week. It's becoming extremely popular as a club drug, you see. In Warwickshire, it's hardly seen, so it's not tested for on a routine basis."

"So we can't prove that Angela was spiked?" asked Bella.

"Not by a blood test. But GHB lingers in hair for a few months, so if you were prepared to give us a hair sample ..."

"Yes, absolutely." Angela pulled out her ponytail band along with a few hairs. "Here you go!"

"Thank you." The police officer pulled out a plastic bag from one of his jacket pockets and used it to take the hair as evidence. "We can also ask the landlord of The Stag to let us look at his CCTV."

"I doubt Harry would have a problem with helping. He thinks very highly of my wife, and his son is a lawyer with the Crown Prosecution Service."

"Speaking of evidence, Jacob tried to give me a drink yesterday." Bella fished out the plastic- bagged glass and the bottle from her handbag. "I don't know if it would be admissible in court, but I thought it would be worth a try."

"Thank you. I'll be in touch."

Bella hoped that the next time Colin Kennedy contacted her, it would be with the news that Jacob Black was going down.

-cc-

* * *

**AN: **

**French translations**

"_Tu est mon ange du ciel ..." _*"You are my angel from heaven ..."*

_ "Tu es toujours dans ma coeur …" _*"You are always in my heart ..."*

_"Je suis à toi, et tu es à moi …" *_"I am yours and you are mine ..."*

**Thank you for reading. The next update will be Thursday, maybe Friday or Monday 22****nd**** (my schedule for the weekend is really erratic- sorry!). **

**CC xxx**


	30. Chapter 30

**AN: Hi everyone and thank you so much for your reviews. ****_Fortune Favours the Bold _****was nominated for TLS Fic of the Week (huge thanks to evilnat for that, btw) and as a result, there are a whole load more people following the story. Welcome new readers! **

**This chapter and the next are set in London, and I think will contain a few things that some of you have been waiting for! ;-) I hope you enjoy it! Big thanks to SunflowerFran for her mad-good beta skills and support!**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's ****_Persuasion._**** I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

* * *

**Chapter Thirty**

November 2012

On the morning of her big meeting, Bella caught the train to London and went straight to the offices of Atomic Publishing, where Garrett met her in the lobby. Before they went up, they sat down, and he gave her a pep talk.

"Now, relax, Bella. Remember that they want you. My job is to push them on how much."

"Okay. It won't get too uncomfortable, though, will it?"

"I doubt it. But if I do idly suggest that I'll take the manuscripts to other publishers, don't flinch. It's just part of the game."

"But isn't Siobhan one of your closest friends?"

"Yes, and she knows the game better than anyone. The ideal is that we leave this meeting with a six-figure, minimum four-book deal. I've been in this business for twenty years, Bella. I know a smash hit when I read one, and you've given me two! They're worth that much, and if Atomic isn't prepared to stump up, other publishers will because historical fiction is exceptionally hot right now. Siobhan and her colleagues are fully aware of this. That's why they've been so quick to schedule a meeting with you."

"All right, let's do this."

Edward, meanwhile, checked his phone every five minutes to see if Bella had texted him. He was anxious to find out how her meeting had gone. He wanted this opportunity for her so badly, having realised how many had passed her by while she was helping Rosalie to raise George and Gemma.

He was in his London studios with Alice, Jasper and their assistants, doing some essential financial paperwork and discussing some of the work they had drummed up from the various networking events and meetings they'd attended the day before. Thanks to the success of Bree Tanner's _Sweet Talk EP,_ and the ongoing popularity of _Night Light,_ AJE's profile was high, there was a lot of interest in the company's work, and their schedules were full until the following spring.

Suddenly, Edward's phone vibrated with a text alert just before there was a knock on his office door.

**_Meeting over. Need you. Coming to you in studio. Hope that's OK. B xxx_**

"Come in," he called, expecting it to be Mike.

"Hi." Bella herself came through the door.

"Bella, love!" he exclaimed.

"You look surprised to see me. Did you not get my text?"

"Only just."

"It must not have gone through until I got off the Tube."

He got up and enveloped her in his arms.

"Are you okay love?" She didn't answer straight away. Instead, she held him tighter, gripping onto his t-shirt and nuzzling her nose into his chest.

"Mmm..."

"The meeting?"

Bella curled her arms around his neck before tilting her head up to look at his handsome face.

"Yeah, it went pretty well..."

"Bella?"

"They offered me a four book deal, with an advance of one hundred and fifty thousand pounds."

"So what's the problem? That's terrific news."

"They also want me to commit to three months of full-time publicity, and marketing for _The Nadir and the Zenith _when the book is launched next year, and for _Arden's Delights_ later on. They said that because they're putting so much money behind them, they want to ensure that it's a success, and that means appearances at literary festivals, book signings etc."

"And you don't want to do that?"

"It's all happened so quickly. I don't want to leave my family." She buried her head in the crook of his neck. "I don't want to leave you."

"Oh, Bella ..." he cupped her face and kissed her lightly, tenderly. "What did you say?"

"I asked them to give me until Monday to talk it over. I don't think they were very happy about it. I left Garrett to deal with them."

"What do you want to do now, love?"

Bella's eyes fluttered closed. She stood on her tiptoes so that her forehead rested against his. Her hand left his upper back and drifted down until it rested just above his ass.

"Right now, I just want to be with you," she whispered.

"Back to my apartment then?"

"Yes please."

Edward and Bella left AJE's London premises and caught the Tube, for it was the quickest way back to Chelsea; it was far speedier than taking a black cab or driving, and then getting stuck in rush hour traffic. The trains were busy, and they had to stand up the whole way, pressed up against each other, the simmering tension between them rising.

It was a typically overcast, chilly, autumn day in London, and when Edward and Bella left the Tube to walk to his apartment, he held her close to him, knowing that she got cold easily but also because he always wanted to feel her. He marvelled at how easy it was to fall back into the familiar ways he used to touch and hold her. It was instinctive and effortless. The blondes he had dated all used to comment that he was a 'hands off' kind of guy, but the truth was that he never felt comfortable with public displays of affection because he didn't have any true affection for any of them. With Bella, however, he found it hard not to touch her. He wanted everyone to know that she was his and that he was hers.

Bella lapped up his attention. She felt whole again in his arms, and all she wanted was to be with him, in every way possible. For so many years, her sexual drive had been buried, but since Edward came back into her life, it had resurged with a vengeance. Butterflies multiplied inside her, the closer they got to Edward's apartment.

By the time Edward showed her in, Bella's palms were clammy. Edward noticed her nervousness when he helped her take her coat off. Her shoulders were shaking slightly, and her skin was flushed.

"Are you all right love? If you don't want to ..."

"I do! Oh, Edward ... I just ... This is going to sound weird, but I feel the way I did on the day we lost our virginities. It feels like a momentous occasion."

Edward stepped forward and kissed her forehead.

"It is a momentous occasion."

Edward moved to kiss her lips but then suddenly picked her up bridal style, causing her to giggle and squeal.

"You crazy man, what are you doing?" She cried, but she didn't protest as he carried her into the bedroom and deposited her on the bed before climbing on top of her. She cradled him in her legs as he brushed the hair away from her face.

"We've got a lot of lost time to make up for, love," he murmured, his lips against hers. "But I'm not going to dwell on the past; we've moved on, and we're back together and I couldn't be happier."

"Me too, _mon ange_." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her lips hard against his. Edward parted his mouth and Bella slid her tongue along his, cherishing the feeling of the electricity surging through her, and the feeling of his weight enveloping her.

Edward continued to kiss her languidly as he eased her arms from around his neck and raised them above her head. He left her lips and trailed them over her chin and down the column of her throat, savouring her taste, her smell and her soft, delicate skin. As he kissed, he swirled his tongue against her, and she moaned.

"I've missed that moan," he murmured, "and I want to hear it again and again."

His hands left hers and roamed down her sides to find the edge of her black shirt. As he kissed down her neck, he opened her shirt starting at the lowest button so that by the time he was dipping the tip of his tongue into her navel, causing her back to arch, Bella's shirt was completely open. He held her by the waist with both his large hands as he kissed back up from her belly button to her black and silver lace bra, where he licked along the tops of the cups.

"Oh!" Bella was incandescent with delight, especially when he began to caress her breasts with his hands.

"May I take these off, love?" He fingered the straps of her bra and the edge of her shirt.

"Uh-huh," she agreed, and started to move her hands, but he stopped her.

"Let me, please ..."

"Your favourite part, if I remember. Right?"

"Yes, it's like unwrapping the most exciting present." He pulled her shirt up over her raised arms and threw it on the floor. He lifted her slightly to undo her bra strap behind her, and then with bated breath, eased the straps down her shoulders before pulling her bra away and adding it to the floor. He immediately latched his mouth to her right nipple, closing his eyes to savour the feel of her soft bosom against the side of his face and her peak against his tongue. _I was right, they are bigger. _

Bella couldn't help but writhe under him as she became flooded with arousal, flushing from head to toe, moisture rapidly gathering between her thighs, her heart beating wildly with anticipation, not only for their approaching carnal joining, but for the surprise that she was sure Edward was about to discover.

He soon let go of her right nipple and kissed across her peak toward the left one, spending a little time flicking his tongue into the ravine between her breasts before moving onto the left. He was suddenly overcome with the need to see his beautiful Bella's face and raised himself up a little. Her face, neck, and décolletage were all the most attractive shade of pink. As he admired her, her eyes opened, and she looked at him quizzically.

"You okay?"

"I'm great, love. Just taking a moment to admire the ..." his eyes swept down to her bare breasts, but just as he was about to look up to her face again, a tiny dot of dark colour at the corner of the crevice of her left breast caught his eye. "... view ..." He placed his finger on it. "Bella, what's this?"

She looked back at him hesitantly, biting her lower lip.

"Take a closer look, _mon ange ..."_ she replied, emphasising the French words.

He gently lifted her breast with one hand. What he saw completely and utterly overwhelmed him.

_Bella has a tattoo?_

It was very delicate; a line of small dots, stars and hearts, right under her breast, across her heart in black ink, leading to three words in an elegant, cursive script.

_Pour mon ange. _

He traced it with his thumb, not quite able to believe what he was seeing.

"Bella?"

"Follow it round further, Edward. There's more."

He did as she asked, following another line of dots, tiny stars and little hearts. Bella turned onto her side slightly so that he could clearly see the endpoint, a bare-chested, strong-looking, masculine angel with sweeping wings. He sat on the side of her chest, small enough to be hidden by a bra, but it was still an incredibly powerful statement.

She looked back at her Edward's handsome face, to his verdant green eyes, now misted over.

"F-for ... f-for me?"

"Of course," she sat up quickly, sensing that it had affected him deeply. A tear escaped from his eye. "_Toujours, mon ange, always_." She kissed his tears away, and he clutched her to him when her mouth found his, kissing her fervently and desperately.

"Always, always ..." He lowered her back to the bed before dipping his head to her left breast, lifting it out of the way to kiss her marked skin.

"I need to see yours, Edward. Please ..." she mumbled. "Please."

As he sucked along her tattoo, she ran her hands down his back, gathering up the material of his t-shirt. He helped her out by pulling it off, and then took her hand and placed it over his heart.

"My swan, my Bella."

"It's amazing that we had the same idea. Do you have any others?"

"No. You?"

"Err ... yeah ..."

"Where?"

She rolled off and lay alongside him. Her hand drifted to the top button of her A-line grey skirt, which sat over her hip.

"Come find out."

Edward's eyes grew large, and he licked his lips as he anticipated where her other tattoo might be. His cock anticipated it too, growing even harder. He nudged her hands out of the way and undid the button before pulling down the zip.

"Lift up your hips, love," he rasped, and when she obliged, he yanked off her skirt in one smooth move, throwing it on the floor as if it had offended him.

_Hmm ... so far, no sign of another tattoo. I wonder ..._

She was wearing a tiny pair of black and silver lace shorts and nude, thigh-high hold-ups. He got rid of the hosiery first, running his hands up and down her creamy, smooth legs. There was no sign of any ink. Bella bit her lip, waiting patiently while he explored. Finally, he hooked his thumbs under her last remaining piece of clothing and eased them down her legs. Before he could even look, he was hit by the deeply sensual, sexy, musky smell of her sex. His mouth watered and his eyes fell on her shimmering pink pussy, dripping with her arousal. He stroked his thumb up and down her slit, brushing across her clitoris, momentarily forgetting about his ink hunt.

"Edward!" Bella moaned loudly as shocks of rapture sparked through her at his touch. He brought his mouth to her clit and encircled it with his tongue, pushing her thighs up with his hands and spreading her legs so that she was completely open to him. As he got down to the important matter of making his Bella come, he glanced upon her other tattoo that was nestled at the top of her pubic bone, just above the start of her triangle, of dark, silky curls. Just three tiny words.

_Seulement EAC. Toujours._

He felt Bella's hands in his hair as if she knew the moment he had found it.

"Only EAC. Always." Bella explained. "Nobody but you … I belong only to you."

Edward responded by raising himself up to kiss her mouth.

"Oh my love! My Bella. I'm only yours too."

As he kissed her, he stroked his hand down to her pubic bone, over her tattoo, and then lower, to her slick centre. He probed her wetness with two of his fingers and gently pushed inside her. Bella was already very turned on, and when he started to pump in and out of her, she started to keen and wail.

"Mmm ... Edward ... need you ... my clit ... please, please ..."

He grazed her hypersensitive nub with his thumb before alternating pressing and circling it with pumping in and out of her tight pussy.

"Oh, oh ..." she clutched at his back and at the tufts at the base of his neck. "Oh, OH, AAH, AAHH!" She cried loudly as she exploded around his digits.

"So sexy, unbelievably so, my love," he whispered as she floated back down to Earth. Her eyes fluttered open, and she grinned. Her grin then turned into delighted giggles.

"Amazing. AMAZING!"

"Even better than before?"

"Even better," she cupped his face with both her hands and kissed him hard and deep. "Do you know what would make it better still?" She started to suck along his collarbone lightly.

"Mmm ... what?" Bella let her hands drift down to his jeans.

"If you were inside me right now. I want to feel us as one, _mon ange."_

"As if I'm going to protest about that." He stood up, remembering how much she used to love watching him undress, her huge, brown eyes turning to saucers when he brought forth his cock. He quickly shed his jeans and his boxer briefs and was rewarded with the same wide-eyed expression on her face, the one he had missed for so many years.

Instead of crawling back into her waiting arms, he slid alongside her and lay on his side. Bella turned onto her side so that they faced each other, and he brought her face to his. As their tongues danced together, he lifted her leg over his hip, and she curled against him. He was about to slip inside when he suddenly had a thought.

"Protection? God, last time I didn't even check."

"It's okay, Edward. I'm on the pill, and I promise I'm clean."

"Me too, you're the only person I've not used condoms with ... Wait, you're on the pill even though you've not had sex with anyone for nine years?"

"I stopped taking it when we broke up, and then went nearly two months with no period. I was seriously starting to wonder whether I was pregnant when I had the worst period of my life. Aches and pains, loads of bleeding ... the doctor told me to go back on the pill to regulate my cycle. Sorry, this isn't sexy bedroom talk!"

"No, but I needed to know ... now where were we?"

Edward grinned and pulled her leg further over her hip. His hard member fell into exactly the right place, like a heat-seeking missile. Cradling her against him, he finally pushed into her wet, slick, heat.

"Oh holy fuck!"

His head spun with the overwhelmingly intense pleasure of being inside his love. Bella was wrapped around him like a vine, her head tucked under his, one arm around his neck, the other around his back. As he thrust into her, she made small cries of pleasure, which only served to turn him on further.

Bella lost herself in the warmth and strength of Edward's arms and the sheer bliss their union was creating. A familiar, delectable tightening rose within her; she knew that it wouldn't take much to tip her over the edge. She let her body run on instinct, and it decided to take control.

She tugged at his hair with the hand that was curled behind his neck, and he looked at her, painfully close to his own orgasm.

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I just ..."

She used her other to nudge him onto his back, taking her with him so that she was on top. He beamed at her, and when she sat up, he took her hands in his and linked their fingers.

"Such a beautiful sight. What do you need, love?"

"Just this, just you," she replied as she used his hands as leverage whilst she rocked back and forth, the friction bringing her closer and closer to her climax.

Her movements were doing wondrous things for him too. He helped her move faster and faster, thrusting up as she moved.

"So beautiful, so fucking hot, love."

"Edward, EDWARD, ED-WAARRDD!" she cried as finally, she exploded around him. She immediately let go of his hands and lay on top of him as she continued to move and he continued to thrust faster and faster. She captured his lips and delved her tongue deep into him, all the while tugging at his hair and scratching at his scalp.

"Bella!"

"Let go, _mon ange."_

"Nearly there!"

"_Mon cher, mon ange, je t'aime."_

"Fuck, fuck, FU-UCK!" He practically screamed as he spilled into her, clutching her desperately. "Bella, my Bella!"

They panted, and their chests heaved in unison as they caught their breaths whilst in each other's arms. Time ticked by, and the sky grew dark, but they didn't part from their embrace until their tummies grumbled together in harmony.

"Hungry_?"_

"Yes, you?"

"Yep.

Food, then bath?"

"Perfect." Edward reluctantly let Bella go, and she sat up on the edge of the bed and raised her arms up to stretch out her muscles. Seeing her elegant, nude back as she extended, he just had to feel her again, and scooted to sit behind her, his legs on either side of hers, before tilting her head back so it rested against his chest.

"What are you doing?" she sighed, although it was most definitely not a protestation.

"I just couldn't resist another touch." He nuzzled into her neck with his lips and draped one arm across her breasts, whilst his free hand cupped her pussy. "You turn me on so much; I already want you again!"

"Have me," she breathed, placing one hand on his thigh and reaching up to drape the other over his neck.

"Even if I said I need you right now and that I can't wait until after we've eaten?"

"If you want me now, Edward, take me," she panted, turned on instantly. She felt him harden against her ass.

He growled softly into her ear, causing a new rush of wetness to engulf her pussy. He felt it, for his finger was in her slit, and it made virtually all the blood inside him flood his own groin.

"Lean forward, Bella."

She duly complied, letting go of his neck and his thigh. Edward stood over her and ran his hands over the smooth skin of her back before kissing her sacral dimples and squeezing her ass. He sat back down on the edge of the bed and moved her backwards, holding her by the hips to guide her onto his rock hard dick. He then nudged them both back a little so that they didn't slide off the edge.

"That's right, love, just sit back, right on top of me."

She gasped as she felt him at her opening. She used her hand to guide him right inside.

"So good, Bella, are you all right?"

"Yes ... God, you feel so deep like this."

"You like my cock inside you this way?" he asked as she rested her weight on top of him, clamping down on his thighs for support.

"I love your cock inside me full stop, but this way ... it's as if I can feel every ridge, every ripple of you," she sighed. She let go of one of his thighs and he automatically held her tighter at the hips as he bucked his into her. Her hand slid to where they were joined and the feel of her fingers on his cock as it moved in and out caused even more lust to spear him. Her thighs were starting to burn from holding herself in position, but she pushed past it, the need for her orgasm overriding the discomfort in her legs.

"Are you touching yourself too, love? Are you going to come soon?"

Bella was indeed rubbing her clit as she felt him move in and out of her.

"Mmm ... so close. Keep fucking me, please keep on fucking me Edward!" she cried, getting closer and closer. "I need you, so much."

"Oh love, I'm going to ... really soon ..." He thrust as deeply as he could, cupping her hand with his.

"Aah ... AAAH ... I'm nearly ..." She suddenly felt her orgasm burst right through her, shaking her from head to foot.

"Me too." Edward immediately followed, spilling another hot load of his cream deep inside her. "Me ... too." He panted into her shoulder. "Wow."

"Uh-huh. I will never, ever get enough of that; I'll never get enough of you."

Edward slipped out of her, turned her around in his lap and brought his forehead to meet hers.

"You never have to. I love you Bella. I never stopped loving you, and I never will."

He didn't need to hear it back. He knew that she loved him with her entire being. Still, she returned the sentiment without hesitancy and with the utmost sincerity.

"I will always love you, Edward. You are my one and only." She hesitated before adding, "That's why I'm going to say no to the book deal."

"What?" He looked aghast. "Bella, you can't throw away such an opportunity because of me!"

"It was one thing to be away now and then, but three months? I cannot and will not be away from you for such a long time. I only just got you back. And then there's my family too."

He stroked her hair and rubbed her lips with his thumb.

"You aren't going to lose me just because you're on the road. We can talk to the publishers about making sure you have plenty of opportunities to come home, and we can try to sync our schedules, so we're in the same place as much as possible. It's not forever, love."

"I don't know ... I hate being the centre of attention. All I want is to write."

"As you've seen from working at AJE, publicity and promotion is vital to get music out there. I guess it's the same with literature. What's the point of writing something so amazing, if nobody reads it? Besides, once you get established and develop a following, you won't have to spend so much time away."

"I guess ..."

"Bella, whatever you decide, I'll support you. I just don't want you to miss out on something you've wanted for so many years."

He kissed her then, reassuring her that he meant every word.

The distant ring of Bella's phone, which was in her bag in the hallway, broke them out of their bubble.

"What time is it?" she asked before turning to look at Edward's bedside alarm clock. It read 8.03 pm. "It'll be Gemma ringing. The only way she let me out of the house this morning is because I promised to talk to her before bedtime."

"She's such a little sweetheart. She told me the other day, when we were at George's football practice that she doesn't like it when you are away." Edward slid Bella off his lap and passed her his t-shirt. "You go call her. I'll order us some dinner. What would you like?"

"Indian?" she suggested, inhaling Edward's scent from the t-shirt before throwing it on. It fell to mid-thigh on her. "Any dish you like but not too spicy."

"Perfect."

By the time Bella had cleaned up in the bathroom and spoken to Gemma and George, Edward had changed into a pair of striped pyjama bottoms, ordered the food, poured them some wine, placed plates and cutlery on the coffee table and even placed some lit candles around the living room, suddenly bathing the otherwise, slightly cold room in a warm glow.

"Oh, wow, this is lovely, _mon ange." _Bella flitted to his side and placed her lips on his bare shoulder. "You didn't need to do all this."

"But I wanted to," he murmured, turning to nuzzle into her neck.

"Mmm ..." Bella wrapped her arms around him, stroking his back up and down, before letting one hand drift down to feel his firm bottom. Edward groaned as his dick stirred immediately. "Oh, _hello ...!" _

"See what you do to me?" The doorbell suddenly rang, startling both of them. "Hold that thought, love."

Edward went to answer the doorbell and Bella positioned herself on Edward's large, grey leather sofa and draped a black woollen blanket around her.

"I hope you're hungry, Bella my love because I think I ordered enough for an army." Edward held up a large paper bag.

"I'm starving!" She took the bag from him. "This looks fab."

For a while, they just ate, occasionally looking up and grinning at each other.

"Enjoying it?" Edward asked eventually.

"God, it's so delicious! I love this fried, savoury doughnut thing with the coconut sauce. I've never had it before."

"It's a South Indian specialty, called _vadai__. _They have them for breakfast over there, and as a street snack. It's not as great as having it there, but it's still good, and when I order Indian food from this place, I always get it."

"You've been to India? You never mentioned it before."

"Haven't I? Um, yeah, Alice and Jasper had two weddings. They had a lavish, legal wedding and reception in London, at The Savoy Hotel, but their true exchange of vows took place in Kerala, on the beach, which was more intimate. There were only twelve of us, just Alice's family and a few friends. It'll be their nine-year anniversary at Christmas."

"Wow, what was it like, Kerala I mean?"

"Serene, lush, heady during the day, and vibrant, dynamic, loud and crazy at night. The colours and smells were just intoxicating."

"Sounds amazing, _mon ange._"

"One day I'll take you." He leaned over and kissed Bella's nose, causing her to giggle, but she was then hit with the memory of Gemma sniffling down the phone, upset because of her absence. "What is it?" Edward asked, picking up on the change in her face.

"Oh, just Gemma, she's awfully sensitive. She's still unhappy about me being away and was crying on the phone."

"I know how she feels," Edward replied. Bella smiled and stroked the side of his face.

"She'll get used to it eventually, but she's been used to me being there her whole life, and it's difficult to hear her cry every time I leave the house."

"What about George?"

"He says he doesn't like it, but he's easy to distract."

"Gemma's like you, love. She thinks and ruminates over things, worrying about all the implications."

"True. But if she's like this when I go away for a few days, what's she going to be like when I move out?"

"Is moving out on the horizon?"

"Yes. Rosalie is finally in a financial position to move house to somewhere bigger, which will probably happen in the New Year. She asked if I wanted to move with them and I've made the decision that I'm not going to."

"Have you, uh, been looking at apartments?"

"Not yet, but I will do, soon."

Edward was quiet as he considered Bella's news. _I want her to stay with me. _

"What's the matter, _mon ange?"_

"I have a suggestion ..." he took in her earnest face and pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Yeah?"

"Move in with me."

Bella froze.

"Oh, um ..."

"You don't like the idea." Edward's tone was suddenly cool, and he pulled away from her.

She immediately grabbed his wrists and hauled him back.

"It's not that I don't like the idea. I love the idea, but just not yet. Edward, we've only been back together a few weeks. We haven't even spent the night together yet."

"But we've been apart for too long. I don't want to waste another minute."

"I don't think that there will be wasted time if we spend a little longer getting used to having each other in our lives again, before taking that step."

"Mmm ..."

"Let me think about it, all right?" She wrapped her arms around his neck and nipped his earlobe.

"OK, love," Edward replied, although inside he felt a seed of worry start to sprout.

-cc-

* * *

**AN:**

**French translations:**

_Pour mon ange- _For my angel

_Seulement EAC. Toujours.- _Only EAC. Always.

**The next chapter should go out next Sunday or Monday, depending on my work and crazy family. **


	31. Chapter 31

**AN: Hello all! Thank you so much for the lovely reviews and welcome to everyone who's new to following this story. It's been a very hectic week so I'm grateful to have the time to post. **

**A big Thank You to evilnat, again, for suggesting this story to The Lemonade Stand for Fic of The Week! It didn't win but I know that a few of you are here as a result. Also thanks to CullenFan524 for spotting some edit-fails just after I posted the last chapter, and of course, big thanks and virtu-hugs to my beta and pre-reader SunflowerFran! **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's ****_Persuasion._**** I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-One**

November 2012

_"Move in with me."_

That night, as Bella lay in Edward's bed on her side, his warm, hard body curled protectively around her, she found herself turning the four words over in her mind, swiftly followed by the hurt look on his face when she said it was too soon.

The truth was that she truly did love the idea of being with him all the time, of sharing living space, of waking up with him every morning. There had been times when she had fantasised about nothing but. Therefore, she could not understand why it hadn't felt right to agree. It was more than just a question of time.

Eventually, she drifted into slumber, but was haunted by dark dreams; black smoke and gnarled hands pulling her away from Edward, only for the hands to belong to Edward himself.

"No, Edward! NO! NO! NO! STAY! PLEASE!"

"Bella, wake up, love! Wake up!"

Edward had been awake and watching her sleep in his arms when she started tossing and turning, mumbling his name. Her mumbles turned into frightened yelps and suddenly she was screaming and sobbing, hot tears flowing down her peachy cheeks. Edward almost cried in relief when she finally opened her eyes.

"It was only a dream. You're here."

"Of course, love. Where else would I be?" He told her as he wiped away her tears.

She didn't reply, but pressed herself into his chest, binding him with her arms.

"I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"I upset you last night. When you suggested moving in together, and I said I wasn't ready, I made you doubt me and the way I feel about you, didn't I?"

"Yes," he whispered. "But let me ask you something, Bella. How exactly do you feel about me?"

Bella took a deep breath and Edward felt her exhale against his bare skin. He felt the worry again and couldn't stop himself from trembling.

"I love you." She kissed him over his heart before looking up to his face. "I have never stopped loving you, and I never will. _Toujours, _remember?"

"Forever. I love you too, Bella."

"Please trust me, _mon ange._ I am most definitely yours, whether we live together or apart."

"I do trust you, my love. I do. I guess I was confused. One minute you're talking about turning down the book deal because you don't want to be away from me, but then you say that you don't want to move in with me?"

"I'm confused too. I don't understand why I can't be happy when everything I ever wanted in life is right there in front of me, ready for the taking."

"Maybe it's because you've gotten too used to sacrifice, love."

"Maybe."

He touched his lips to hers, and she kissed him back harder, tightening her arms around his torso. She lay back, bringing him with her so that he hovered over her. As their kisses became more fervent, he settled in between her thighs, his morning wood nestled against her rapidly moistening heat.

They didn't exchange words as Edward slipped inside her and Bella anchored him there by crossing her ankles and pressing into his behind. They moved together gently, needing to feel their connection more than needing to feel sexual pleasure. When Edward was close to his climax, he pressed his long fingers against her clit, causing her own orgasm to rumble through her, slowly filling her with delicious heat. His swiftly followed.

"I love you, Bella, and if you need time, take it. You waited for me for so many years. I can wait a little longer for you," he murmured into her ear.

-cc-

That evening, Edward took Bella to his club in Covent Garden, where they were meeting Alice and Jasper for drinks and dinner. The Hospital Club was one of the most opulent private members' clubs in London, and memberships were highly sought-after. This was especially the case for Platinum memberships, which were offered by the Membership Board to only the most elite or talented. The club had won prizes for its interior design, which blended classic Victoriana pieces in muted, neutral shades with bright accents of chartreuse and violet.

The Hospital Club boasted an exquisite bistro-style restaurant, which was only open to members and their guests. Edward, Alice, and Jasper had come to know the executive chef, Corin D'Arby, very well over the seven years they had been members, and Corin had reserved them the best table in the house, a curved booth which afforded extra privacy.

"Welcome back Mr Cullen, it's a pleasure to see you again, sir." They were greeted by a middle-aged Afro-Caribbean man, immaculately dressed in a black suit with a chartreuse shirt and black tie.

"Thank you Godfrey. This is my beautiful girlfriend, Isabella Swan. Bella, love, this is Godfrey Wisdom, the membership manager."

"It's an honour to meet you, Miss Swan. Welcome to The Hospital Club. I have your Platinum Membership pack right here, including your card."

Bella turned to Edward.

"You bought me a membership?"

"Yeah, you're too important to be labelled a 'guest'." He leaned down to kiss her. "Sorry to surprise you, though."

"You're not sorry at all, are you _mon ange?"_ Bella replied, grinning.

"Nah." Edward shrugged and brushed her lips with his. "Not at all."

Godfrey cleared his throat subtly.

"On behalf of the Membership Board, we are delighted to welcome you as a Platinum member. Your talent and potential precede you, Miss Swan," Godfrey enthused. "Would you like me to show you around, Miss Swan or ...?"

"Thank you Godfrey, but I'm sure Edward wants to do it," Bella replied politely.

"I do, but perhaps after dinner. Alice and Jasper are probably already here."

"Yes, sir, Mr and Mrs Whitlock are in the Martini Lounge."

Edward showed Bella through to the Martini Lounge, where Alice and Jasper were at the bar. The barman was putting on quite a show of mixing a peach coloured drink.

"Bella! Edward!" Alice got up and hugged them both tightly. "OMG, I'm so happy to see you!"

"Hey, Alice, what are you drinking?" Edward indicated to the barman, who was pouring the peach drink into a highball glass.

"Oh, that's for Jasper, I'm having a Lemon Drop."

"Yeah, I got a real hankerin' for Peach Snapple, and this fine young man is making me somethin' peachy to emulate it," Jasper explained. "Bella, what can I get you, darlin'?"

"Your peach drink looks lovely. I might have some of that if there's any left?"

"Coming right up, Miss," replied the barman. "And for you Mr Cullen?"

"I'm in the mood for beer or ale. Something light but bitter. Any recommendations?"

"We have a special Indian Pale Ale from Yorkshire, sir. It's quite hoppy and citrusy, but has a strong, smooth bitter taste."

"Perfect."

Once settled at a table with their drinks, Alice proceeded to ask Bella all about the meeting with Siobhan and the publishers.

"Siobhan wouldn't tell me anything," Alice pouted. "But they'd be mad not to make an offer. Did they? Come on, they must have!" She added excitedly, bouncing in her seat.

"Um, yes, they did," Bella replied quietly. "And it's a good one."

"YAY!" Alice cried. "You're gonna get published … Bella's getting published!"

"Whoa, whoa, slow down, Alice!" cried Edward, as Bella grabbed for his hand under the table.

"I haven't said yes yet. We haven't agreed on terms," Bella explained quietly.

"Are they tryin' to lowball you, darlin'?" asked Jasper.

"No, financially, they've been very generous in their offer." Bella went on to explain her worries about being away.

"I'm sure Garrett can negotiate for you, Bella so that you're away less."

"That's what Edward said. I feel so stupid because it should be so easy; I should be able to be happy, to accept the book deal and enjoy my success." _And I should be ecstatic that Edward wants me to move in with him._

"I think you're just not used to it, Bella. You've had to work so goddamn hard just to survive for so long. Karma's finally been throwin' you some bones, but didn't teach you to how to handle them."

"So what do I do?"

"Decide exactly where you're prepared to compromise and where you won't. Be real explicit, and Let Garrett do the actual wranglin'. That's what you pay him for."

"That's great advice, Jasper, thank you."

"Excuse me?" A young waitress wearing a clean, black apron over a black skirt and chartreuse blouse approached their table. "Mr Cullen, Chef D'Arby has your table ready. If you'd like, I can take you all through."

They all agreed, and once the waitress had collected the drinks on her tray, they followed her through to the restaurant. When they got to the entrance, however, there was a line of people waiting to be seated, and the sound of distant shouting.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir. It looks like this entrance is, uh, held up. I'll take you through the private dining room," the waitress apologised, going red. She was clearly new, and the group were sympathetic.

"Of course, lead the way."

As Bella, arm in arm with Edward, walked past the glass window of the restaurant, she got a great view of what, or rather, _who, _was holding up the line.

Her mother.

She was older, had clearly succumbed to the knife of a plastic surgeon and a stylist with more financial sense than actual style, but the woman who was dressed in a too-tight, terracotta maxi dress and black shrug was most definitely Renee Dwyer.

"But I want that big table!"

"I'm sorry Mrs Dwyer. The mezzanine is for Platinum members only, and that's the Chef's Table. It's been reserved tonight by Chef D'Arby himself for his special guests."

"If you and your little club want our business, you'll give us that fucking table!"

"What's the matter, love?" It was only when Edward spoke to her that Bella realised that she had stopped walking. "Shit, you're shaking."

From some place deep within Bella, came a flood of strength. _She does not deserve anything from me but disdain. _

"I'm fine, _mon ange," _she told him. "But you see that woman?" She nodded to where Renee was screaming at the restaurant host.

"Who, Mrs Screamy making a right fool of herself?"

"Yeah. That's my mother."

"Shit, really?" Edward did a double take. Although the woman had clearly had a facelift and oodles of Botox, he could make out the same cheekbones as Bella, and the same hazel eyes as Rosalie. She had the same heart-shaped face as both sisters.

"Yup." Bella noticed Alice, Jasper and the waitress waiting for them. "I'll tell you more at the table."

Once they were seated, the back of the booth hiding them from view of most of the rest of the restaurant tables, Bella explained.

"I haven't seen her since the day she walked out on my father with one of his closest friends and colleague, which was the same day we found out that Rosalie's ex-husband, had stolen the family's money."

"How are you feeling?" asked Alice, concerned about her friend. She knew, more from Rosalie than Bella, about how toxic their mother had been, and how much she had affected Bella's self- confidence.

"Surprisingly all right. I'm not happy about her being a member here too, but there's nothing I can do about it, and I'll be damned if she ruins my night with my man and our friends."

"_Your_ man, love?" Edward whispered in her ear. "Hearing you call me that is so fucking hot."

"_My _man. _My _Edward," she whispered back, running her hand up and down his thigh. He let out a soft growl.

"Save it for later, guys!" Alice chastised gently. Bella blushed deeply, but then laughed at herself.

"Sorry, I can't help myself, when it comes to Edward."

"Ditto," echoed Edward.

Their dinner progressed happily. Chef D'Arby had produced a sumptuous array of vegetarian delights, from wild mushroom soup to a roasted butternut squash and bulgur salad with feta, coriander and bell peppers to spinach and ricotta _mille-feuille, _and for Alice, had created a seafood platter that had her groaning in delight.

As they were finishing up a dessert of Pears _Belle Helene,_ with handmade vanilla bean ice-cream and _langues de chat _biscuits, the chef came out to meet them. He was in his early forties with salt-and-pepper hair and rather portly in build. Bella thought that he had a particularly jolly face.

"Hello, friends, how are you?"

"Corin, we are absolutely stuffed, that was fantastic," enthused Edward. "Thank you for saving us this table and doing a special for us."

"It's the least I can do for my favourite members," he replied with a wink. "Now, this lovely lady must be Miss Swan. Edward mentioned you when he rang up the other day, and I can see that his descriptions were wholly inaccurate."

"Oh?"

"He said that you were stunningly pretty, however, that's an understatement!"

Bella giggled and ducked a little.

"Wasn't kidding about the shy thing though."

"No, but I'm getting better," replied Bella, smiling enchantingly. "Chef, it was exquisite, especially the pears. Did I detect a hint of spice in the chocolate sauce? Cinnamon maybe or star anise?"

"Wow, what a palette! Yes, there's just a touch of star anise to give the sauce extra warmth. I'm impressed, Miss Swan."

"Please, call me Bella."

"Well, I look forward to cooking for you again, Bella. I'm glad that the little incident with the unhappy patron didn't upset you or put you off."

"Not at all."

"Well, it won't happen again. The membership office offered one two-month trial memberships to some lawyers and bankers last month. I believe she was one of those members, and I think that it's fairly certain that her membership won't be renewed when it lapses next week."

"I see." Bella couldn't help feeling just a little glee at the chef's words. "Chef, we'd be delighted if you'd let us buy you a drink later, once you're done with service."

"Oh, ah," Corin looked surprised, "are you sure?"

"Absolutely," agreed Edward. "It would be an honour."

After the chef agreed to see them later, the group made their way back to the Martini Lounge, where they had a reserved table. Bella caught sight of Renee and the back of Philip Dwyer's head at a table in the main restaurant. Renee sat with arms folded, looking miserable. Bella felt strong enough to handle seeing and even talking to Renee, but she had no intention of lingering to make the possibility a reality.

Nettie, one of the waitresses, came up and took their drinks order, and Bella sat back against Edward's arm, which he had draped along the back of her seat. He leaned in and kissed her temple; she reached up to grab his hand.

"Did I mention how much I love this dress on you, love?" Edward murmured. It was a simple, knee-length, dark blue jersey wraparound dress with long sleeves, but it was fairly low-cut and afforded him a decent view of her cleavage from his position. Bella had paired it with the necklace Edward had got her from Ibiza, made of blue glass beads on a silver chain.

"No, but you can tell me again," she turned into him so she could speak into his ear, "when you take it off later."

Edward pressed his lips to the juncture of her neck and collarbone, causing her to let go of a soft moan of arousal.

"Wow, you guys are throwing so much lust into the atmosphere, it's surprising this place doesn't turn into a Roman orgy!" quipped Alice, fascinated by the way they interacted. She had seen Edward with a lot of girls, but he had never paid any of them much attention. He had barely let them hold his hand in public. Tanya had come closest, but even then, Edward would never be the one to show affection first.

"You're a fine one to talk, Alice. I shared living space with you guys until you got engaged, remember? Bella, before they started sleeping together, it was painful. The long looks, the sighs of longing ..."

"Shut up!" Alice swatted Edward's arm.

"And after," Edward continued undeterred, "they were like bunnies. Sometimes, they were louder than the street. I had to sleep with earplugs. Once, I walked into the living room to find them ..."

"Stop! Stop!" Alice squeaked, covering her face. Jasper and Edward were crying with laughter, and Bella couldn't help but join in. "You promised you'd never mention that night again!"

"Let's just say, Bella, that Alice and I sure did put a _Kama Sutra _book to good use!"

Bella's eyes widened and she giggled, squeezing Edward's hand and burying her face in his shoulder to quieten her laughter.

"Oh no, Edward, your poor eyes!"

"Exactly, love."

They burst into a fresh round of laughter, such that, at first, they didn't notice someone approaching their table.

"Having fun, Isabella?"

Bella looked up from Edward's shoulder to see Renee in front of them, hands on her hips, eyes blazing.

"Tons, actually."

"What are you doing here?" Renee hissed. "What are you even doing in London?"

"Enjoying dinner and drinks with my boyfriend and our friends," Bella replied coolly. Renee's cold eyes looked over Edward, whose easy smile from moments earlier had been replaced by a scowl. It was clear in her eyes that she thought him handsome, although clearly did not remember his face from Bella's photographs of old.

"Look, I don't know how you managed to wangle your way into _my _club, but I suggest you make the most of it because I'm going to make sure that they never let you back." Renee declared. "Off-limits, Isabella!" she added, in the same way she did when Bella was a child and came into Renee's dressing room when she wasn't allowed.

Bella could feel Edward begin to react, and clamped her free hand down on his thigh. Renee fed off drama and histrionics; she didn't want Edward to give her any ammunition.

"Excuse me?" Nettie had returned. "I have your drinks order here." She clearly sensed the tension in the air. "May I?"

"Of course, darlin'," replied Jasper. "I think our visitor will be leaving soon anyway," he added, glaring at Renee.

Renee held her tongue whilst the waitress served the drinks.

"A Cosmopolitan for you Mrs Whitlock and for you Miss Swan, a Raspberry Martini. A Peach Special for Mr Whitlock, and finally, a Yorkshire IPA for you, Mr Cullen."

"Thank you, Nettie," murmured Edward.

"You're welcome, sir. Chef D'Arby asked me to pass on the message that he will join you in around thirty minutes."

"Excellent. Make sure his drinks tonight go on my tab, all right?"

"Of course." Edward gave her a £5 tip and she smiled gratefully before walking away.

"So that's how you got in! You're friends with the help!"

"I hardly call a Michelin-starred, world-renowned chef 'the help'," defended Alice. "Corin D'Arby is a good friend."

"I think you should leave now," added Bella. "I'd say it was nice to see you, but we both know that's not true. By the way, Rosalie and your grandchildren are doing great, thank you for asking. As am I."

"Mr Cullen, Miss Swan? Is everything all right?" Godfrey approached the table. "Mr and Mrs Whitlock?"

"Fine, Godfrey." replied Edward. Renee looked over at him, and at Bella, disparagingly.

"Very good," replied Godfrey, who turned to Renee. "I'm sorry, Mrs Dwyer, this lounge is for Platinum members only. Please could you return to the main members' lounge?"

"What about them?" she scoffed, pointing at Bella in particular. "Are you telling me they're Platinum members?"

"Yes, some of our longest and most valued," replied Godfrey. "By the way, Miss Swan," Bella turned to look at him. "Alistair Kinsella is in the Bellini Lounge. He was discussing the work that he's been doing with you and Mr Cullen very favourably. I mentioned that you were here, so he may stop by. I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all."

"Alistair Kinsella?" Renee's eyes almost popped out of her head. "Star of _The Albert Street Gang?"_

"That's right," replied Bella.

"What exactly do you do?"

"So now you care? Now that I've been associated with a celebrity, an actor from one of your favourite TV shows?"

"I really do think it's time you left, Mrs Dwyer." Edward had had enough. "You've come here and accused us of being interlopers, when we've been Platinum members for years. You've demeaned our friend, and you've made the love of my life deeply uncomfortable. I think you're done."

"'The love of your life?!' Don't make me laugh! You'll drop her when someone younger and prettier comes along."

Edward, aware of the busy bar beyond them, and Bella's hatred of scenes reined himself in. He really wanted to scream in her face, but controlled himself. Bella, on the other hand, decided she wouldn't be a meek little mouse anymore.

"You told me that Edward would leave once before, and I believed you," Bella told her mother, staring her down, her voice calm, yet firm. Renee's eyes widened as she realised who Edward was. "And yet here he is, by my side, so I won't make that mistake again. Besides, what makes you think that you, a woman who abandoned her family when they needed her most, who values a table in a restaurant more than decorum, has any kind of opinion that could influence me?"

Before Renee could come up with an indignant reply, Edward jumped in.

"I've been in love with Bella for thirteen years, my whole adult life. I lost her once, but now I've found her again, I'm never letting her go." "She's the kindest, most thoughtful, intelligent, and talented woman ever, not to mention the most beautiful. I don't apologise for being biased. What I don't understand is how you, her mother, are the only person who can't see it."

He turned to Bella, cupped her face and kissed her tenderly.

"I love you, Edward. So much."

"I love you too. Always. _Toujours."_

By the time they tore their eyes from each other, Renee had gone.

-cc-

Bella surprised herself by not shedding a single tear after her encounter with Renee and the rest of the night went well. She managed to sleep, but woke up early, just as the first fingers of dawn broke through the clouds and the London smog. She considered how she felt about seeing her mother again. There was no sorrow, and hardly any anger, but mainly a sense of emptiness. The only time when she felt anything at all was when she recalled Renee's implication that Edward might leave her.

_"'The love of your life?!' Don't make me laugh! You'll drop her when someone younger and prettier comes along."_

Her mother's words were similar to when she found out about Bella's relationship with Edward all those years ago.

_"What do you know about love? The first guy to show you some attention and you believe you're in love that you can run away with him like in one of those millions of novels you've read. Get real, princess! Men like this sleep with little mice like you because you're easily available, and then they run away with beautiful girls. They marry beautiful girls!"_

The recollection of her mother's words from so long ago almost made her double over in agony. She loved Edward with all her being. She trusted him with her life She had more confidence in her talents and abilities, and she no longer woke up feeling like her life had little meaning. No, it was full of colour and vibrancy, of love and friendship and warmth.

So why wasn't she completely content?

In remembering her mother's words, she realised the answer.

_Renee made me believe that I don't deserve him because I'm not beautiful. And I can't shake the feeling that he deserves better, even though I feel his love with every single glance, every single touch and every single smile he gives me. _

"Mm ... are you awake, love?" Edward murmured, turning over and spooning her naked form. "Bella?"

"Yes," she mumbled. "Sorry to wake you."

"Don't be." He slid down, so his lips were at her neck. "Means I can do this."

He placed a hot open-mouthed kiss over the nape of her neck, and nudged her to lie on her front before slowly kissing and sucking his way down her elegant spine. His hands swept up and down her delicate curves, causing her to pant softly with rising pleasure. Finally his hands reached her peachy behind, and as he squeezed, he licked her sacral dimples, which Bella found surprisingly erotic.

"Touch me lower, _mon ange," _she breathed.

"Where, my love? Tell me."

"Stroke my pussy, please."

"I love it when you talk dirty," he replied, sliding his hand between her thighs, his fingers drawn to her deep heat and moisture. "Just hearing you swear turns me on."

"In that case, I'd better fucking well swear some more!"

"Oh hell," Edward groaned. "Again!"

"Edward Anthony Cullen, I want you to fuck my brains out. Fuck me with your fingers, fuck me with your tongue and fuck me with your big, hard cock!" Bella replied, deadly serious.

"Whatever you want, my Bella," he told her as he started to turn her onto her back.

"No, like this. Claim me from behind, Edward. Ride me hard!" Bella cried. She needed to actually feel him possess her.

"Holy fucking hell, Bella! It's so hot when you tell me what to do."

He slid over her, rose up onto his knees and grabbed her by the hips, hauling her onto all fours and causing her to moan.

"I'm good, _mon ange,_" she told him before he could ask.

"Bella, love, I want you to scream when I make you come. I want the neighbours to hear it."

Edward slid two fingers into her sopping wet heat. His thrusts were rougher and deeper than usual, especially with his beloved Bella.

"More!"

Edward adored the ways Bella moved and swayed under his touch. He felt her tremble as her orgasm grew near. He understood that she needed the release desperately and was determined to give it to her. He pumped faster and Bella started wailing and keening, her body trembling as her orgasm drew near.

"Let go, Bella. Fucking scream it out."

Bella did just that. She roared out her climax, yelling his name and letting go of some of the turmoil in her mind. She had barely recovered when he scooted under her so that his face was directly under her enticing, aromatic pussy.

"Sit on my face, love," he commanded, "and hold onto something."

"I need another one, Edward. With your tongue."

"Anything you need, Bella, and anything you want is yours," he promised. "Now come here."

Bella held onto the headboard and lowered her pelvis onto his eager mouth. He held her hips and adjusted her thighs around his head. The feel of his hot breath directed against her and the feel of his stubble scratching against the soft, smooth skin of her inner thighs, spiked her arousal again, even before Edward's tongue explored her.

He lapped up her juices, which had leaked over his face, before delving deeper and making contact with her sensitive clit. Bella writhed against him, and he licked from her clit to her waiting hole before plunging in.

"Oh, fuck! Yes, perfect!"

Edward gripped her ass, pressing her into his face further. He was painfully hard, as seeing Bella in such a frenzied state was beyond sexy, but their current coupling was all about her. He understood that she needed to take from him right then, and he wouldn't have it any other way. He moved one hand from her bottom to her lower abdomen, and pressed down, tapping his middle finger against her clit.

"AAAH ... OH MY ... EDWARD!"

Bella's orgasm, like the first, ripped through her and then soothed her conflicted mind.

_Edward loves me. _

_He wants only me. _

_I deserve him. _

_I deserve this. _

When he was satisfied that she was satisfied, he moved from under her so that he was on his knees behind her. He held her by the waist and peppered her shoulders with feather-light kisses.

"Oh, love, how was that?"

"So good." Bella turned her head, seeking his mouth. Edward bestowed a long, wet, searching kiss upon her; the presence of her wetness on his face merely served to deepen their intimacy. "Would you consider me greedy to ask for even more?" she asked softly, when they broke apart.

Edward pressed his rigid cock against her.

"Is this what you want, Bella? Tell me."

"I want it so badly, _mon ange._ I want to feel every inch of you fill me."

"Now?"

"Now."

Edward leaned back and Bella braced herself, revelling in the anticipation. He stroked the head of his member against her slit, still so wet for him, and even more receptive to him. He slowly pushed his tip into her. She was breathing heavily, her skin damp and flushed from the heat of her two previous orgasms, and when he slid further into her, she gasped and mewled.

"Ohhh ..."

"Brace yourself love," he warned as he pulled out of her a little.

He then pounded back into her, setting up a rhythm of rapid, deep thrusts.

"That's it, Edward, fuck me hard!"

"Bella," he grunted, leaning forward to fondle her breasts, rolling her nipples between his fingers.

Bella rocked back into him, utterly lost in their mutual rapture.

Needing to feel more of her, Edward gathered her in his arms and rested back on his heels, taking her with him so that his chest was flush with her back.

"So deep, Edward. So deep," she wailed, resting her head back against his shoulder. His left hand was splayed across her flat tummy and she linked her fingers with his before directing his hand lower. "I'm so close," she whispered. "Finish me off, _mon ange."_

Edward was so near the edge that he couldn't speak. Instead, he sucked and nibbled along her neck, and pressed their joined hands against her clit and her pussy where they were so intimately joined. It was enough to tip Bella over, and she shuddered and shouted her way to her third orgasm, which was all the more intense for having Edward buried deep inside her. Feeling her tight canal clamp down around him in orgasm, and hearing her crying out his name, milked his own release from him and he came, experiencing a climax so strong that he almost couldn't breathe.

"Oh, I love you, Bella Swan," he sighed, when he pulled out of her.

She turned around to face him and lay back before beckoning him into her arms. She was still panting slightly from their lovemaking; even though it was rough, and dirty words had spilled out of both their mouths, Bella considered it as intimate and emotive as when they had made love gently the previous morning.

"I'm so in love with you, Edward. That was amazing."

"Feel better?"

"Much."

"You're going to be sore later, love."

"Don't care. That's what ibuprofen's for."

"As long as you're all right, my love."

"I'm perfect."

He nestled his head into her bosom, and she stroked his scalp gently; they fell asleep that way, only waking a few hours later when Alice called to tell them that she and Jasper were in the company car on their way to collect them, to drive back to Warwickshire.

"Whoa, did you guys get any sleep at all, or did you just spend the whole night screwing?" asked Alice as Edward and Bella, both bleary-eyed, tired and feeling clingy, held hands whilst loading their bags into the back of the Mercedes saloon.

"Alice," warned Edward, pulling Bella into his side and kissing her temple.

"Sorry," she replied sheepishly, suddenly aware that something intense and more than sexual had happened between her two friends. "Why don't you guys take the back and relax?"

"Yeah, chill out, catch some Zs," echoed Jasper from the driver's seat.

"Thanks," replied Bella. She climbed into the backseat. Edward followed, and encouraged Bella to lie on the back seat with her head in his lap. She was asleep within moments of Edward stroking her hair.

The shrill ring of Edward's mobile phone woke her up an hour later.

"Sorry love, it's just Carlisle. I'll talk to him later."

"No, it's all right," she mumbled, sitting up. "Answer it, it might be important."

"Okay," he replied. "Hi Carlisle, what's up?"

_"Oh, Edward, thank God! I was about to hang up and try Alice or Bella." _His brother-in-law's voice was panicked.

"Carlisle, what's wrong?"

_"Edward, it's E-Esme. Please come quickly, we're at the hospital."_

-cc-

* * *

**AN: Thank you for reading and apologies for leaving things with a cliffy. The next chapter will be posted next Sunday.**


	32. Chapter 32

**AN: Hi everyone and a big thank you to all of you who took the time to review. I've been writing like a madwoman to finish off this story and because I'm entering a contest, so apologies for not replying to all your lovely comments. **

**Thanks as ever to my wonderful beta, SunflowerFran.**

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's ****_Persuasion._**** I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. Song lyrics in this chapter are borrowed from ****_Attracting Flies _****by AlunaGeorge, and ****_Latch _****by Disclosure. This story is rated M for language and lemons. Please do not read if you're offended by either of these. **

**Thank you muchly! **

**Chapter Thirty-Two**

November 2012

Edward, Bella, Alice, and Jasper arrived at Warwick Hospital's Labour Ward to find Emmett pacing up and down outside the doors.

"Em, what happened?" Asked Edward. "Carlisle phoned, but he wouldn't say anything and then said he had to go."

"Oh, man, it was so quick!" Emmett exclaimed. "I went over for lunch, and she said she was tired. She looked exhausted. Carlisle told her to go lie down while we made some sandwiches, and when we came to get her, her face and legs were really puffy. She sat up and said she had a blinding headache. Before I knew it, Carlisle had her bundled in the car, and told me to drive like a bat out of hell to the hospital."

"Oh hell, it must be serious. What about the baby?"

"I don't know. They wouldn't let me past the waiting room, and I was annoying all the other guys in there with my pacing, so I thought I'd stay out here to wait for you."

Bella curled into Edward's side.

"I wonder if it's pre-eclampsia," she murmured. "They warned Rosalie about it when she was pregnant. It's to do with high blood pressure."

"That sounds like the thing Carlisle was worried about. I was so scared though; I wasn't taking much in," Emmett replied.

"The only way to treat it definitively is to deliver the baby," Bella recalled, shuddering lightly, "if that's what it is."

"I'm gonna see if I can charm them midwives into some details," said Jasper quietly. He kissed Alice on the temple and went into the Labour Ward reception.

"If anything happens to her ... Bella," Edward's voice was hoarse with distress, and he reached for her. _Please, not my amazing sister. Not yet._ He held her tighter, and Bella placed her hand over his heart.

"Esme's so strong, _mon ange._ She'll get through this."

Edward shivered.

"So were my parents, love." His eyes misted with the memory of loss. "And they were still taken from us."

Bella stood on her tiptoes and kissed him.

"It doesn't mean that Esme will be. We have to have faith, Edward."

Two long hours passed.

The sky grew dark outside, and all they could do was wait. Jasper had managed to glean from the midwives that Esme would probably need to have an emergency Caesarean section, but wouldn't tell him any other details. Alice and Jasper found the hospital's coffee shop and bought coffee and snacks, but nobody had much appetite. Emmett and Edward both pissed off the midwives by pacing up and down and pestering them for information. Eventually, Bella made Edward sit down, fished out her iPod and jammed the buds in his ears, hoping that music would soothe him. It helped, although his anxiety about his sister still lingered.

Suddenly, a team of people in scrubs burst through an opposite set of doors, pushing a large incubator on wheels.

"Is the Special Care Unit ready to receive?" asked one of them as they rushed past the gang.

"All good to go!" yelled another, just as they disappeared through a set of doors adjacent to the entrance to Labour Ward.

"You think that was for Esme?" Alice whispered worriedly. The group all looked at each other, each one thinking the same thing.

Another hour passed.

Bella had made Edward lie down across three chairs with his head in her lap to stop his pacing. Emmett had sat down as well; he had found his appetite and was anxiously eating his way through the snacks Alice and Jasper had brought.

"Emmett? Edward?"

Everyone looked up to see a very tired and drained Carlisle walking into the waiting room, dressed in scrubs.

"Carlisle, what's happening? They said Esme was in surgery."

"She was ... We have a daughter." His voice was shaky, and he collapsed into a chair.

"How is she … both of them?"

"The baby is small, just five pounds, and they think she needs breathing support. They've taken her to the Special Care Baby Unit (SCBU) as a precaution, but they don't think she'll be there for long."

"And Esme?" asked Bella.

"She hasn't woken up yet. W-when they were assessing her she had a seizure and lost consciousness. The safest course of action was to deliver the baby and then assess for ... b-brain d-damage."

"Oh, Carlisle!" Bella sat next to him and took his hand.

"I don't make sense without her," he murmured, before crying softly.

Alice came to sit on the other side of him and wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

"Right now, you can't think about that. You have a daughter, a defenceless little baby who needs her daddy because her mommy can't be there," Alice told him.

"Alice, I think it would be a good idea if you took Carlisle back to Riverview Place, and Emmett too, to get some rest," suggested Bella. Carlisle immediately began to protest.

"Carlisle, you're useless to her and Baby if you're wiped out. You need to rest for a while. We're gonna come back later so you can see your wife and child," responded Alice firmly.

"But what if something happens?"

"I'm gonna stay here, Carlisle," replied Jasper.

"Me too," echoed Bella. "If anything happens, we'll let you know straight away," added Bella. "Edward, step out with me a second?"

"OK, love." He followed her outside.

"I think you should go with Carlisle, _mon ange," _she told him. "He should be with family. I know you're hurting too, but he needs you. Emmett's obviously wrecked with exhaustion; he's not going to be enough support."

"I know you're right, but I hate leaving you for even a second."

"It's only for a couple of hours, and I'm coming back with you later. We should stay at Riverview Place while Esme's in hospital."

"All right then." He leaned down to kiss her. "I love you."

"I love you too."

After they left, Bella and Jasper sat in the waiting room outside the Intensive Care Unit, where Esme was still in recovery, having tests taken. They weren't yet allowed to see Baby Cullen on the SCBU, but the neonatal nurses had promised to find them to let them know of any developments. Jasper busied himself by working on some figures on his laptop while Bella wrote some new lyrics and poems. She got so wrapped up in what she was doing that she didn't notice that Jasper had left and returned with more drinks for them.

"Here ya go, darlin', tea with a splash of milk, although I have no idea if it's any good." Jasper didn't quite understand the British obsession with a drink made of leaves. He was a coffee man through and through. "But I know you don't like coffee in the evening, right?"

"Right, thanks," she replied, touched that he remembered her preference for morning coffee and afternoon tea. She took the cup from him gratefully. "Sorry, I didn't even realise you'd gone and come back."

"No problem. Whatcha writin'?" he asked, gesturing at her opened notebook, full of scribbles.

"Oh, just a new song." She showed him her words. "As you can tell, it's a rather angry one."

_Hold on now, I'm choking  
Give me a second to collect myself  
You must be joking  
Otherwise I'm laughing to myself_

Why you here again  
Hold on a minute, let me check this out  
Your invitation's a fake  
Must be from a ticket tout

I hear you out, you hear me out  
I hear you shout, I'm not stepping out  
I hear you out, you hear me out  
I hear you shout, I'm not stepping out

Little grey fairy tales  
And little white lies  
Everything you exhale is attracting flies  
And you can go off the rails  
And you can cry your eyes out  
But everything you exhale is attracting flies

"I'll say!" Jasper replied. "And I can guess who inspired it. Your momma?"

"Yes, mostly. And Jacob Black and every single person who's pissed me off recently."

"This song's your fancy way of sayin' that they talk shit, but by God, darlin,' you say it well."

"Thanks, I guess," she replied but didn't smile.

"Why the frowny face?" he asked, always intuitive when it came to others' emotions.

"It's just my mother ... she scarred me. She made me believe I was worth nothing, and even though all these amazing things have happened to me recently, I can't enjoy them."

"Like the book deal?"

"Yeah, I suppose."

"Nah, that ain't the main thing. What do you mean, Bella?"

Bella was silent a moment, swallowing against a lump in her throat to get her words out.

"Edward. You see, he asked me to move in with him.

"And it freaked you out?"

"Totally. The thing is, I want to do it; I love him more than my own life. I want to move in and build a home with him. I want to be his wife. I want us to travel and explore the world and have beautiful babies, but I don't seem to be able to get over this hurdle."

"So you do love him them?"

"Of course!" She replied, a little indignantly. "I've loved him since the moment we met. I never stopped, not for a second. Not when he told me 'to have a nice life' when we broke up. Not when he disappeared from my life. Not when he was out with every leggy blonde from here to Timbuktu. Not when he was abrupt and asshole-ish when we met again. Never. I'll love Edward until the end of time, and I'm not even exaggerating because even when he's being the worst, he's my best; he's my one and only."

"Damn, you look just like Rosalie when you get mad! Sorry for playing devil's advocate, but he's my bro. I had to make sure." Jasper smiled. "So, are you just scared, darlin'?"

Bella grinned back, her cheeks burning following her outburst.

"Petrified."

"Of what exactly?"

"That none of this is real. That Edward's going to wake up one day and realise that he's settled for me, when he could have anybody he wanted. I will have held him back from the extraordinary life he deserves."

"But Bella, what about the extraordinary life you deserve?"

Bella blinked up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Darlin', when are you gonna wake up and see that the amazing things, as you called them, happened because part of you realised that you deserve them?" he told her. "You're a brave girl, Bella, and you have the same kinda guts that Edward does. You put yourself out there for other people, every single day. Maybe that's why you guys are so right for each other. The difference is that Edward knows he has that boldness, and you don't."

When Bella didn't reply, Jasper continued.

"You put your writing on your blog for the whole world to see, even though it scares you shitless. You took a chance by standin' up to your old agent and signin' on with Garrett Daniels. When you gave Alice your poems and told her that you'd work with Edward, you put your heart on the line. You did it again when you took him back, even though he hurt you as much as you hurt him."

"But look at the calibre of women he had when we were apart. Tall, blonde, more than beautiful ... I mean, how do I compete with the likes of Tanya Denali?" Bella hastily wiped tears away from her long, brown eyelashes, remembering the pain she'd felt at seeing them together in _Hello!_ "I know he loves me, but it feels like I'm never going to be able to shake off this fear that he will come to his senses one day and see that he deserves a woman prettier, more elegant and more accomplished than me," she explained in a shaky voice.

"Tanya didn't ever come close to touchin' Edward's heart, Bella. Behind the pictures in the gossip columns, they had raging arguments, and not the good kind that end up with real hot lovin'," Jasper explained. "I don't know what to tell ya darlin', to make you realise that you are all he wants, and all he loves."

"I don't think there is anything you can say, Jasper. I just need time to believe it, and that he's truly forgiven me for what happened when we were kids."

"When you were together as teenagers, did you ever doubt his feelings for you?"

"Not for a second. Even though all the girls gave him these looks and even tried coming onto him, he never gave them the time of day. When he told me he loved me, I believed him implicitly. It felt like nobody existed apart from us two," she replied. "I know that my mother's attitude towards me has a lot to do with why I worry so much, and I just need to work through it."

She leaned forward and kissed Jasper on the cheek.

"Aww, what was that for? You tryin' a make me blush?"

"Thank you for being there, Jasper. Edward wasn't kidding when he said that you're great at listening and giving advice." She jumped up. "I'm just going to the ladies'. I won't be a minute."

When she was out of sight, Jasper looked over to the door of the waiting room, where Edward had stood for the previous few minutes, having heard almost all of Jasper and Bella's conversation. Bella had been sitting with her back to the door, so she hadn't seen him come in.

"So you heard it all?"

"Yeah."

"Whatcha gonna do about it?"

"I don't know, but I'm going to fix this. She's crazy if she thinks I could be with anyone else but her, and I don't know where the hell the Tanya thing came from." Edward ran his hands through his hair nervously.

"Any news on Esme?"

"She's stable, but that's all they'll tell us without Carlisle here. Where is he, by the way?"

"He's seeing the baby. He's going to come over in a few minutes."

"And Alice and Emmett?"

"We left them at Riverview Place. Emmett fell asleep, and we didn't want to wake him. He got really upset when we got back, and it took ages for him to calm down. Alice decided to stay behind and make dinner for us when we get back."

"Aww, my sweet girl."

"Edward!"

Bella had returned from the loo and rushed towards him.

"Oh, my love ... you OK?" He enveloped her in his embrace.

"I should be asking you that. How are you?"

"I'm fine, and Carlisle's managing. Emmett was struggling but eventually fell asleep. We decided to leave him be. Apparently he was working flat out on some case until 3am, and it's caught up with him."

"The poor duck." Bella curled into Edward again, pressing her ear against his chest so she could hear his heartbeat. He kissed her hair, wondering how he could convince her that he was hers forever.

Carlisle came in then, with a small smile on his face.

"Oh, Carlisle!" Bella let go of Edward and went to hug him. "How are you? How's the baby?"

"The baby's doing much better than we expected. She's breathing really well now." Carlisle grinned. "I'm sure she'd love a visit from Auntie Bella and Uncle Edward."

"Yeah? We can go see her?"

"Yes, I told the nurses to let you through."

"Let's go, love. I can't wait to lay eyes on my niece."

Edward and Bella left the ICU hand in hand, and nervously walked across the corridor to the SCBU, and introduced themselves to the receptionist through the video intercom. The doors opened, and they were hit by the sterile smell and the quiet, except for the faint sound of beeping and clicking.

"Hello Mr Cullen. Miss Swan. Please wash your hands," she pointed to a sink, "then put on these disposable gloves and aprons, and come through."

The receptionist, a young Indian woman wearing a pink uniform then showed them to a room which held a single incubator.

"This is Emily, Elizabeth's named nurse." A nurse in a blue uniform, about the same age as Edward and Bella, with olive skin and black hair, turned round. She was also wearing a plastic apron and gloves.

"'Elizabeth'?" Edward gasped. "Carlisle called her 'Elizabeth?'"

"Yes. Elizabeth Isabella Cullen," replied Emily, which led Bella to gasp out loud. Emily showed the name card above the incubator. He said that her mother had decided on the name at their first scan."

"Elizabeth was our mother's name. She died a long time ago," explained Edward before looking at Bella. "And 'Isabella' ..."

"... Is my name. I'm Edward's girlfriend, and Esme is one of my closest friends." Bella managed to blink back her tears, for she could see that Edward was going to break.

Emily smiled sympathetically.

"Would you like to meet her?"

"Yes please," croaked Edward.

Emily turned to the incubator, and then beckoned them forward. Elizabeth was very small, with skin so pale and delicate, it was almost translucent. She had a fine dusting of golden-blonde hair, a couple of shades darker than Carlisle's. Her eyes were closed, but when Edward put his hand through the portal and tentatively stroked her tiny palm, she grasped it and opened her eyes. They were the same exquisite almond shape as Esme's and Edward's.

Edward was unaware he was crying until Bella brushed her thumb along his wet cheek and nuzzled him with her nose.

"She's so beautiful, Edward. She looks like Esme."

"She does, and she looks like ... like ... M-Mum." He turned and buried his face in her neck before crying softly. "W-what if Esme doesn't ...?"

"She will," replied Bella confidently. "She has to. Just look what she has to live for." Bella gestured to baby Elizabeth, who had fallen asleep again.

-cc-

The shrill ring of a telephone and the smell of fresh coffee woke up Bella with a start. She squirmed further under the duvet, seeking Edward's warmth, but he wasn't there. Instead of hugging him, she was hugging a pillow. She felt panic rise within her until she heard his voice when he answered the phone. She got up, wrapped herself in a light blue fleece blanket and padded down the large staircase at Riverview Place. It was odd being back there. It still felt like home to her, but more because of her closeness to the Cullens than because it was the house in which she grew up.

"... That's great news, thank you for letting us know," Edward said as she approached. "We'll be there ... Okay, bye."

"Hey, what's going on?"

"Esme's awake. She's weak and tired, but they think she's going to be all right," he sighed, reaching for her. "She's breathing without mechanical support, and she asked for Carlisle."

"Oh, _mon ange, _that's brilliant news." Bella threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. The blanket slid to the floor as he picked her up and whirled her around.

"Thank God!" he exclaimed once he put her down. "Let's go tell Carlisle and Emmett."

They ran up the stairs hand in hand, and headed to the master bedroom to find Carlisle first. He wasn't there, although the bed had been slept in.

They found him in the nursery; he was asleep in the rustic pine rocking chair Esme had been adamant about buying. He was clutching a cuddly toy bunny in one hand.

"Carlisle?" Bella whispered, crouching down next to him. "Wake up."

"Wha ... Esme?" He opened one eye and smiled, but his smile disappeared when he saw that it wasn't his beloved wife.

"The hospital rang, Carlisle. Esme woke up. She asked for you," Edward told him.

"Really?" Hope shone through in his bright, blue eyes.

"Yes, they're expecting us at 10am."

-cc-

Esme was tired and groggy, and in some pain from her C-section, but otherwise she seemed her usual self. The tests had shown that she had no neurological damage from the seizure. The doctors on ICU were satisfied that she could move to the main ward the following day. It was a move that Esme was desperate for because she couldn't see Baby Elizabeth until then. The group drifted in and out of visiting Esme, and seeing Elizabeth, who was growing stronger by the minute. She was fussing more, and Bella quietly believed that she was crying for Esme.

Edward seemed a little distant, and when he wasn't in with Elizabeth or Esme, he was typing and clicking rapidly on his Macbook Air, headphones on. When Bella casually enquired as to what he was doing, he froze and told her he was just doing 'bits and pieces.' Meanwhile, Emmett spent his time in between visits in the stairwells, pacing whilst speaking rapidly into his mobile phone. When Bella brought him a coffee, he stopped speaking abruptly. If Bella was a paranoid sort of person, she would have been quite on edge.

At around six o'clock, the nurses told Bella that visiting hours were over. Bella had been allowed to don a sterile gown and feed Elizabeth, and it was with great reluctance that she handed the baby over to Emily. She returned to the main waiting area to find Edward, who was still hunched over his laptop, tapping his foot in time to a tune only he could hear.

"Hey." She tapped him on the shoulder.

"Oh, sorry, love," he pulled off his headphones and draped his arm around her. "Everything OK?"

"Yeah, visiting time is over."

"Oh, right. Should we pick some pizza up for dinner?"

"Actually, I think I'm going to go back to mine to see the twins and Rosalie. I hope you don't mind."

"No, whatever you want, Bella. The twins must be missing you," he replied, although there was hesitation in his tone.

"Will you stay at Riverview Place again tonight?"

"Carlisle says he's okay, so I'm heading back to the cottage."

"And Emmett?" They both glanced over to him. He was still on his phone, whilst looking intently at something on his iPad.

"I get the feeling that he's going back to the office for a while. I know that look. It's his 'getting ready for the kill' face. He must be almost ready to charge a suspect on a big case."

Bella idly wondered how Emmett was getting on in his attempt to convict Royce, Billy and Jacob.

"I see," she murmured. "Are you ready to go? I'm just going to say bye to Esme and tell her about feeding Elizabeth before they kick us out of ICU too."

"Yeah, I just need to finish something, and I'm good to go."

About an hour later, Edward dropped Bella off at her house.

"See you in the morning?" asked Bella. "I'll phone you when I wake up, and we can talk about our schedule. At some point, we're going to have to decide whether to rearrange our sessions with Alistair this week."

"Sure," Edward shrugged.

"Edward, you've been acting odd all day, _mon ange._ What's wrong?"

"Nothing ..." he looked at her earnest expression and stroked down the side of her face with the back of his hand. "... Okay, it's not nothing."

He stretched behind him and fished something out of the front pocket of his laptop bag, which he'd slung into the back of the car. It was a USB stick in an old envelope, along with a folded piece of paper.

"What's this?"

"Just listen to these tracks for me tonight, please? And let me know what you think."

"Is this what you've been working on all day?"

"Yeah, it needed to be perfect."

"This is all very cryptic, you know," she commented, smiling slightly. Edward didn't return her smile, however, and instead looked at her intently.

"Promise me you'll listen to all of it? Tonight?"

"Of course, _mon ange."_

"Thank you, love." He leaned forward and kissed her nose, chin and then her lips. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye."

Bella entered the house and was immediately greeted by the twins, who clamoured for her attention. She spent the first half of the evening telling them about London, and once they had been fed and had gotten ready for bed, she told them a story until their eyes drooped and they drifted off to sleep.

When she came back downstairs, Rosalie thrust a glass of white wine into her hand. Bella took a sip and made appreciative yummy noises.

"New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, mmm ... lovely."

"I thought you'd appreciate it," Rosalie replied.

The sisters spent the rest of the evening eating risotto and catching up. Bella filled Rosalie in on Esme and baby Elizabeth first, before going on to tell her about the meeting with Atomic Publishing and then seeing Renee.

"I can't believe the nerve of her to come up to you like that, after seven and a half years of no contact. Well done for sticking up for yourself, and go Edward!"

"I know, right?" Bella replied, stealing a 'Jessic-ism' as she called them in her head.

"He's wonderful, Bella," Rosalie added. "I'm so happy things are working out for you."

"Yeah, I'm really lucky," Bella acknowledged before yawning. "I'm exhausted, so I think I'm going to get an early night."

"Okay, Bellsie." Rosalie leaned across the table and kissed her sister's cheek. "Sleep tight. Will you be coming in with me in the morning?"

"I'm not sure. If I haven't emerged when you're ready to leave, go without me."

"All right."

Bella went down to her basement bedroom, taking with her the envelope Edward had given her. She got ready for bed, put the USB stick into her laptop and pulled out the piece of paper that accompanied it. It was a letter, written in Edward's softly sloping, large, cursive handwriting.

_My darling Bella_

_I have a confession to make. _

_Yesterday, I overheard you confiding in Jasper about us. I was devastated to hear the extent of your worry that I will leave you one day for someone 'prettier, more elegant, and more accomplished'? I believe that was the phrase you used. How can you think that, when I'm the one who doesn't deserve __you?__ None of the vacuous, superficial women who crossed my path while you and I were apart, Tanya Denali included, could hold a candle to your pure beauty (inside and out), your talent, your intelligence and above all, your utterly selfless heart. _

_How do I make you believe that you are the only one with whom I have ever imagined or wanted a future? Even when we were apart, every cell in my body demanded you. Every time I tried to be with another woman, it went wrong because they were not you. When I saw you again, my heart and I recognised that we were home, home to stay, even though I was a jackass and tried to pretend I didn't care. _

_I promise you that I've let go of the resentment from our break-up all those years ago. I'm so sorry that I didn't listen to you on that awful morning. I didn't fight for you then, but I'm going to fight for you now. I love you, Bella, so much. I will do whatever it takes to keep you by my side, forever. _

_Maybe our separation was part of a higher plan for us to achieve what we wanted and still end up together. I'm a better musician because of it, and you're undoubtedly the most emotive, passionate writer in the world. You are the most beautiful, most elegant and most amazing person I've ever known, and that will never change. _

_Do you still not believe me? Then, please, listen to the music. There are fourteen tracks. You'll probably be familiar with the first thirteen for they are either tracks you've heard or tracks that AJE has released- one for each year that you have been in my heart. All were inspired by you. Virtually every note I've written has been inspired by you. _

_Track fourteen is new. It's what I've been working on all day. I wrote it with hope in my heart that you will be able to trust in our future together from here on in. _

_I know you're more of a Shakespeare fan, but I know you love Jane Austen too, because you made me read _Persuasion, _so I'm sure you'll recognise this_:

"I have loved none, but you. Unjust I may have been, weak and resentful I have been, but never inconstant."

_I promise you, Bella, my love, my heart that I will never let you go if you never let me go. _

_Love always_

_Your Edward. _

With tears streaming down her face, Bella listened to each and every track. She recognised the first thirteen instantly, having followed Edward's career avidly since the conception of AJE. The first was the ethereal _Adagio London, _a remix of one of the first tracks Edward had ever given her. From then, the tracks varied in tempo, style and lyrical emphasis, but she adored them all.

Finally the fourteenth track started up, and Bella's tears started all over again. She could feel his love, hope and warmth in every single note. The track had no words, but had an instantly memorable, percussive rhythm, mixed with complex, swirling, soaring electronica, which cried out for deep but simple lyrics.

After listening to the fourteenth track several times, she picked up her bedside pen and notebook minutes, and wrote down in words what she believed Edward was trying to tell her with his music. It was his intent to express to Bella the eradication of any doubt she felt about their renewed relationship.

_You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down  
You, you enchant me even when you're not around  
If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down  
I'm latching on, babe, now I know what I have found_

I feel we're close enough  
I wanna lock in your love  
I think we're close enough  
Could I lock in your love, baby?

Now I got you in my space  
I won't let go of you (never)  
Got you shackled in my embrace  
I'm latching on to you

Now I got you in my space  
I won't let go of you (never)  
Got you shackled in my embrace  
I'm latching on to you

I'm so enraptured, got me wrapped up in your touch  
Feel so enamoured, hold me tight within your clutch  
How do you do it, you got me losing every breath  
What did you give me to make my heart beat out my chest 

_I feel we're close enough  
I wanna lock in your love  
I think we're close enough  
Could I lock in your love, baby?_

Now I got you in my space  
I won't let go of you (never)  
Got you shackled in my embrace  
I'm latching on to you

Now I got you in my space  
I won't let go of you (never)  
Got you shackled in my embrace  
I'm latching on to you

When she was done, Bella sobbed into her duvet, finally acknowledging to herself her true desires.

_I don't want to live a life full of regrets._

_I want to have a life filled with passion, and my passion is Edward. _

_Keeping Edward at arms' length will only delay the inevitable and make me regret. _

-cc-

It had just turned midnight, and Edward had stayed up later than usual, to see if Bella would text or call him after listening to the music he'd written for her.

She hadn't.

Disappointed, he had just about drifted off to sleep in his big but empty bed at the cottage after spending ages trying, but failing to ignore the pounding winter rain, and howling wind as it rattling his window panes.

A large, loud banging woke him all of a sudden. For a moment, he wondered if he'd dreamt it, but then it started up again. Fully awake, he realised it was coming from the front door.

"Edward! Edward!"

He pulled open the door to see his beloved Bella, dressed in her pyjamas, a pair of old Ugg-like boots and a fleece, zip-up hoodie. She was absolutely drenched by the rainfall and shivering uncontrollably.

"Bella, love! What are you doing here?"

She pulled out a piece of paper from inside her hoodie and thrust it at him.

"Is this what you were trying to tell me with the fourteenth track?" she asked breathlessly, refusing to step inside the cottage, and, therefore, getting wetter and wetter. "It's called _Latch._ What do you think?"

Edward skim-read the words, and then had to read them again, just to make sure they were as perfect as he thought they were.

"Y-yes. Absolutely. Exactly this. "'_Now I've got you in my space, I won't let go of you_.' Never. I love you Bella, and I want forever with only you."

Bella launched herself into his arms and peppered his face with kisses.

"Yes," she murmured against his lips. She was making him wet too, but he didn't care.

"Yes to what, my love?"

"To everything … I want it all, with you." She wrapped her legs around his waist, and he kicked the door shut. "Edward, you're the other half of me."

"You're not scared anymore?"

"No." She pushed her wet fingers into his hair. He braced her against the cottage door, and moaned softly, his eyes fluttering closed. "And I'll prove it."

"How?" he asked, resting his forehead against hers. She took a deep breath.

"Edward Anthony Cullen, please would you do me the extraordinary honour of being my husband one day?"

-cc-

**AN: I'm really excited to hear what you think of this chapter (although I'm expecting some people to be upset with me for leaving you with a cliffie again!). **

**The next chapter should go out at the same time next week. **

**CC xxx**


	33. Chapter 33

**Hi everyone! What a great response to the last chapter. Quite a few of you were surprised at the turn of events, but as long as you liked it, that's okay! **

**I won't prattle on anymore, except to say thank you, as ever, to SunflowerFran, my supremely amazing beta. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's ****_Persuasion._**** I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for language and strong lemons. This chapter contains a discussion about anal sex in the first section, so if this is something you're uncomfortable with, please don't read it. **

**Thank you muchly! **

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Three**

November 2012

_"Edward Anthony Cullen, please would you do me the extraordinary honour of being my husband one day?"_

Edward froze and opened his eyes, only to be pierced by Bella's huge, chocolate-brown orbs, so full of love.

"Edward? Say something, please, _mon ange."_ She bit her lip expectantly. "_I am half agony, half hope_," she added, quoting Persuasion herself.

"I can't believe you proposed," he replied, stunned. "I'm speechless, love."

"Good speechless?" Bella murmured. "Or b-bad speechless?" She added, her bottom lip trembling. "I mean, I know it's come out of the blue, especially given my former hesitancy, and you don't have to answer right away. If you want to think about it, that's fine because I know we've only been back together a few weeks, but ... I just, I just ... it's what I want for us ..."

Edward silenced her nervous rambling with a strong, searing kiss and brushed the apples of her dewy cheeks with his thumbs.

"Isabella Marie Swan, love of my life, I want it too," he told her. "You're the other half of me, and I want to call you my wife more than words can express."

"Is that a yes?"

"It's the biggest bloody YES in the world, love."

"Thank God!" She laughed, before burying her face in his neck, kissing all the skin her lips could find.

"We're getting married," Edward marvelled. "We're getting married, love! I can't believe it ... Mrs Cullen!"

"Say it again, _mon ange ..."_

"Mrs Cullen. Mrs Edward Cullen. Isabella Marie Swan Cullen. Bella Cullen ..."

Bella moaned, and pulled his mouth to hers.

"I love you."

"I love you so much, Bella," he replied. "Does that mean you'll move in with me?"

"Yes, absolutely. When Rosalie and the twins move house, I'll move in with you. But right now, something else needs to happen."

"What's that?"

She licked along his jaw until she reached his ear, which she sucked into her mouth, causing him to shudder.

"Make love to me, soon-to-be-husband of mine?"

"With pleasure, my future Mrs."

Edward carried Bella towards the bedroom while Bella kicked off her boots, pulled off his t-shirt and whipped off her fleece hoodie.

"God, you're freezing, love!"

"I'm fine ..." She protested, teeth chattering. "Okay, I'm chilled to the bone, but you can warm me up, _mon ange!"_

"I will, Bella, I promise," he turned towards the bathroom, "and doing it in the bath would help, love."

Bella's face lit up.

"The giant-sized bubble-jet corner tub you keep bragging about?"

"Mmm-hmm ... I've kind of fantasised about making love to you there, jets pummelling both of us ..."

"Oh that sounds really good ..." Bella's eyes grew darker and more hooded, lust spiking her veins.

Edward kicked the door of the bathroom open and turned on the taps. While the tub filled with water, and the room filled with fragrant lemon verbena-scented steam, Edward and Bella stripped each other of their remaining clothes, and let their hands wander, each gentle caress affirming their mutual devotion.

Bella gave into her urge to taste Edward's flawless, pale skin, first by kissing the base of his throat with her open mouth and then dragging her bottom lip down his chest. Her tongue traced his pecs, his nipples and finally, his tattoo.

"This just takes my breath away," she murmured before sucking his nipple.

"I think yours is pretty fucking spectacular." He dipped his head to kiss her shoulder and pressed his hand against her left breast, before stroking the delicate, inked skin underneath. He glanced over to the bathtub. "Water's ready, nearly-Mrs Cullen."

Edward held her hand as Bella stepped into the giant tub, and when she had lowered herself into the water, he got in too, and sat opposite before pulling her towards him so she was on top. She stroked his hard cock gently a couple of times before guiding him inside her. Edward wasn't expecting her to be ready for him so quickly, not that he was complaining. As he thrust upwards, she moaned loudly. He held her close with one hand pressed against the small of her back. Not wanting to take his eyes off her, he used his other to grope along the side of the tub for the dial that turned on the bubble-jets.

The jets suddenly burst into action, pounding into Bella's hyperaware skin as Edward pounded into her, surrounding them both with a mass of frothy, lemony bubbles.

"Fuck! FUCK! Feels amazing!" She cried, leaning forward so that her nipples grazed the smattering of dark auburn hair on his chest.

"The jets feel phenomenal on your ass cheeks, don't they?"

"My ass, full stop," she whispered, wriggling slightly. When he looked at her in shock, she merely raised an eyebrow.

"Bella! God, you're so fucking sexy it's unreal. I love that everything about you is familiar, and yet you always find a way to surprise me."

"It's because you make me feel so safe, _mon ange._ I know that I can trust you with my innermost thoughts and desires. You're the person who knows me best in the world, even though we've spent so long apart."

"Oh, my love, it's the same for me," he agreed. "Now, speaking of desires, and of your ass ..." he squeezed her peachy bottom as they continued moving together slowly, "... are you telling me that you've thought about some play in the area?"

Apprehension and excitement rippled through Bella simultaneously.

"Maybe, have you done it before?"

"A little exploring with fingers, but that's it. It never appealed to me with anyone else. Too intimate."

"But me?"

"When it comes to you, my _fiancée, _I want everything, and I want to give you everything. I would love to explore it with you, but if you don't want to take it any further than talking about it, that's okay too."

"Mmm ... you're so considerate. I'm such a lucky girl to have you, Edward."

"I'm the lucky one, love."

He started to move faster inside her, and she started to mumble and moan as her release drew near. Edward sensed it and let one of his hands drift to her clit, which he started rubbing in circles. Bella started panting, keening and gasping with the glorious build-up of tension and heat in her belly, and with her orgasm just milliseconds away from its crescendo, she pulled his other hand from her ass cheek to rest directly against her other entrance. Edward's eyes widened as he realised, and with just one finger, he pressed it, only once. Bella cried his name and exploded with an earth-shattering release. Edward followed, and then pulled her forward so that they were both fully submerged in the water.

"That was so good … I feel like I'm flying, Edward," she giggled before kissing him languidly.

"I want to say that I feel like I'm flying whenever I'm with you, but I think you'll accuse me of being a cheese-ball again," he laughed back, playfully nipping her nose.

"_My _cheese-ball. _My _Edward. Mine."

"Yours and yours alone. Forever."

-cc-

Emmett had always been fairly resilient. As a prosecutor, he had tried some very harrowing cases, but had been able to cope easily. However, anything that affected his loved ones affected him deeply, even though he would try not to let it show; for years after his parents died, he couldn't speak about them, and disliked it when Edward or Esme tried. It was only in the past couple of years that he could hear references to Edward Senior and Elizabeth, and not become angry or sorrowful. Just thinking of the possibility that Esme might not have pulled through when she was ill, made him feel like he was going to dissolve into nothing. Texts and a phone call from Rosalie had soothed him for a while, but he still felt shaken.

It was with tiredness in his bones and lingering heaviness on his heart that Emmett made his way into his office the following morning. He has spent a considerable amount of time the day before on the phone with Seth and Jared, trying to consolidate the evidence against Royce, Billy and Jacob, in preparation for arrests. He had been planning to go in that night, but decided to try to get some sleep before going back to work, although that exercise had proved fruitless.

"Good morning," his assistant Kim followed him into his office and put a cup of coffee on his desk. Emmett was instantly suspicious. If Kim made him a drink without being asked to do so, it usually meant something stressful was coming his way.

"Morning, Kim. What's with the coffee?"

"Well ..."

"Never mind," he snapped impatiently, before feeling guilty. "I'm sorry. I'm not in the best mood this morning. Please, continue."

"Detective Inspector Kennedy from Warwickshire Police came in yesterday afternoon to talk to our SVAR (Sexual Violence and Rape) team about an attempted rape and assault case involving drink-spiking. When Sam Uley checked out the suspect's name on our internal database, it brought up an alert to a pending investigation."

"Drink-spiking?" Emmett immediately thought of his conversation with Edward at Halloween_. "Now, Em, I need to tell you about something else Jacob Black might have done, so you'll understand why it's so important that he's never in the same room as any girl we care about." _"What's the suspect's name?"

"Jacob Ephraim Black."

Emmett froze, and his stomach lurched. He looked at Kim, whose expression gave away that she understood the implications.

"Get Sam, Jared and Seth in here immediately, please."

"I thought you might say that. They're waiting for my call."

Five minutes later, Jared, Seth and the senior prosecutor leading the SVAR team, Sam Uley, sat around the conference table in Emmett's large office. Kim sat in the corner, quietly taking notes.

"Sam, tell me about Jacob Black and the charges Warwickshire Police wish to bring about," asked Emmett.

"One count of assault with intent to rape, and one count of attempted assault with intent to rape, boss," replied Sam. "The victims allege that Black spiked their drinks with GHB. One incident occurred at a Stratford pub, and CCTV footage shows the suspect ordering and mixing something into a drink which he then gave to the victim. She drank about half of it, and was later admitted to hospital overnight. She wasn't tested for GHB at the time, but provided a hair sample later, which confirms that she had been exposed to GHB."

"And the second?" Emmett inquired. Sam shifted uncomfortably in his seat. It was known, although not widespread knowledge, that Emmett's brother was famous music producer, Edward Cullen.

"It occurred at a Halloween party at, um, AJE Records' studios out near Henley. The victim was given a drink by the suspect, but they had a prior acquaintance, and she was suspicious of him. In fact, she is a victim of the fraud, as well. She accepted the drink but poured its contents into a plastic bottle, and put the glass into a plastic bag for evidence. She also provided her own fingerprints so they could be ruled out."

"And was the drink spiked?"

"It was loaded with GHB, boss. Inspector Kennedy pulled the studio's CCTV footage and once again, there is video footage of the suspect mixing something into the drink after procuring it from the bar, and then handing it to the victim."

"Is the CCTV of sufficient quality to make the charges stick?" Asked Emmett anxiously, almost certain that the latter victim was Bella. "And the physical evidence? Is it robust enough for us to secure a conviction?"

"I haven't seen the CCTV yet, but I know Colin Kennedy extremely well, and he believes so. Plus both victims are very credible, articulate, accomplished women. As for the physical evidence, I believe so, but I can bring you the files so you can give us your opinion."

"Not right now. First, we need to discuss the impact of these charges on our on-going fraud investigation. Jared, updates please?"

"Yes, boss. Mary Matthews fell over herself to help. She confirmed that her original report went to Billy Black in August 2005. It was faxed over, as well as sent by post, and she has a copy of the fax confirmation report. It categorically stated that Jacob Black's accounts were used to receive embezzled funds from Royce King. Subsequent account activity showed that Jacob Black used that money for further investments and made a killing investing in some construction companies, in the Middle East."

"What about the new forensic accountants' report?"

"It confirms Mary Matthews' report, and also shows that King and Black have continued to invest together, although they do it less often, now that they each have an eight-figure bank balance."

"Eight figures? £10 million plus, _each?"_

"Yes. And it gets better. It turns out that while Jacob Black is over here managing a band, Royce King, under his new name of Jack Houston, is a partner in a small, Jersey-based, pharmaceutical company that purport to make tranquilisers for the veterinary market."

"You think it's a front to supply drugs like GHB?"

"We do, although we need to dig deeper to prove it, but we definitely have enough to charge King and Jacob Black for embezzlement and fraud, and Billy Black too, on perverting the course of justice and destruction of official documents. We've managed to track Royce King down. He's back on Jersey, in St Helier, and Jersey Police are tracking him for us."

"Sam, are you in a position to charge Jacob Black yet?"

"Not yet. Colin Kennedy only came to us with this information yesterday. I need to review the evidence myself, check the victims' statements etc."

Emmett sat back in his chair to think for a minute.

"Kim, put down your pen a moment. I don't want what I'm about to say documented."

"No problem, Emmett." Kim stopped writing.

"I'm fairly sure that one of the victims is someone very important to my brother, and one event occurred at my brother's workplace. I was there, and if it's who I think it is, I'm effectively a witness. Therefore, after this meeting ends, I shouldn't be involved in any further discussions about this rape case. Sam, your team will investigate it in parallel, and I trust that you're senior enough to decide your own plan of action. All that I ask is that you liaise with Jared every step of the way. Jared, when you report to me, keep out any details about the SVAR case against Black until after arraignment."

"Got it," agreed Sam.

"Of course, boss," echoed Jared.

"Jared, once the arrests are made, I have no doubt that the Blacks, as well as, Royce King will bring in some of the best defenders in the country, and even though we will be freezing their assets, people with that much money always have funds stashed away somewhere. It's imperative that we seize their passports as quickly as possible, before arraignment. None of them have previous convictions, so there's a strong possibility that they will be granted bail."

"Sam, can you interview the victims with Colin Kennedy present, and look into Black's acquaintances and contacts, especially ex-girlfriends? See if any of them can corroborate the victims' stories. If you want to add 'intent to rape' to the assault charge, you need clear evidence of intent, or else their defence will tear up our case. That means mobile phone records, internet sites, private messages, emails etc. And when you charge Black, include a restriction order, to keep him away from the victims and any witnesses."

"Including you, if necessary?"

"Me and my whole family."

"Got it."

"Seth?"

"Well done on finding Mary Matthews and getting the forensic reports sorted out. You've showed real resourcefulness during this case."

The tips of Seth's ears turned pink.

"Thanks, boss!"

"You said that Mary Matthews faxed over a copy of the original report, right?"

"Yep."

"Well, someone had to have seen her report, other than Billy Black. From what I understand, the man is adverse to modern technology. When I arrived here in March, the computer they tried to give me was ridiculous. It was almost as old as me! I would be very surprised if he handled his own faxes."

"It's true," piped up Kim. "Mr Black could barely turn on his computer, and he didn't even know where the fax machine was, let alone handle it." Emmett turned to his assistant. She was around thirty, although she looked younger, petite and slim with light brown hair tied in a high ponytail.

"Kim, when did you start working for Billy Black?"

"Um, let's see ... it was a few months after I joined the CPS from Warwick District Council ... it must have been September 2005. Yes, that's right. September 2005."

"Do you remember who your predecessor was?"

"Of course, she recommended me for the job," Kim replied. "It was Sue Clearwater, Seth's mother."

Seth turned to look at Kim, surprised.

"No ... are you sure, Kim?"

"Yes, definitely. I remember now. Sue told me that it was a great job, challenging but not too difficult, but she'd done it for a very long time and wanted a change. She had seen an opportunity for promotion at the family courts and decided to take it."

"Boss, you don't think ... my mother would never be involved ..."

"Seth, we have to look into it." He glanced at Kim's pen and notebook. She started scribbling again. "I'm sorry, but until we've ruled her out as an accessory, you're off the case."

"But ... but ..."

"I'm sorry Seth. I know it's harsh considering how much work you've put in, but we can't afford to compromise the case any further. If the lead comes to nothing I'll reinstate you," Emmett told him. "Jared, go interview Seth's mother immediately."

Without another word, Seth slunk out of the room. Jared and Sam quickly followed.

-cc-

The sound of Edward's mobile phone ringing woke him and Bella, who was draped across him in his large bed, both of them under his thick, down duvet.

"Nooo ... don't want to ... go away phone ..." she mumbled, nuzzling into his chest. Edward smiled and leaned down to kiss her gently on the forehead.

"They'll go away eventually, love," he told her, turning away from the irritating noise. Bella moved with him so that she lay on her back and he lay half across her, using her breasts as a pillow. The phone stopped ringing and they drifted off to sleep again.

A few minutes later, the sound of loud knocking on Edward's front door woke them up again.

"For God's sake," Edward groaned.

"EDWARD! OPEN THE GODDAMNED DOOR!" Alice's shrill voice assaulted their ears.

"She sounds mad, _mon ange. _You'd better open it."

"EDWARD!"

"Hang the fuck on, Alice!"

With a groan, he left Bella's warmth and swung himself out of bed, threw on pyjama bottoms and opened the door to Alice.

"What the ...?"

"Is Bella here?" she asked, striding in. She eyed the trail of damp clothes strewn across the living room floor and then him. "She better be, seeing as you look freshly fucked!"

"Um ... hi," Bella murmured as she padded into the room, wrapped in Edward's dressing gown. "Everything okay?"

"Rosalie has been going crazy worrying about you. She woke up and saw your car was gone, panicked and called your cell, but you didn't answer. Then she called me. I tried Edward's, but he didn't answer, so I came over."

"I must have left it in the car. I was in kind of a hurry." Bella glanced up at Edward and blushed as she remembered the previous night. He leaned down, and not caring that Alice was in the room hopping up and down, kissed her soundly as he curled his fingers into her hair.

"Ahem. Guys?" They continued kissing, completely ignoring Alice. "Come on now, don't make me kick your asses with my new Jimmy Choos!"

Reluctantly they parted.

"What time is it?" asked Edward.

"Quarter to nine. Now, I don't know what the hell happened between you guys last night, but it's big, right?"

Edward and Bella merely shrugged, and then giggled, irritating Alice further. She never liked to be kept out of the loop.

"I'd better get going, _mon ange. _I need to get home and change so that I can be back for my meeting with Alistair, and then later, we can go to the hospital to see Esme and Elizabeth."

"Rosalie's still at home. I told her to wait there until I checked things out so you might wanna call her."

"OK, thanks," replied Bella. "Oh shit!"

"What, love?"

"I came here in my pyjamas." She gestured to the trail of clothing on the floor. "I can't wear them again, but my car is outside and all the staff will see me leaving and I can't exactly wear your dressing gown home."

"I'll go back to my cottage and get you some clothes, Bella. That way you don't have to go home and return. You can just get Rosalie to bring over your stuff."

"Thanks, Alice, and sorry to inconvenience you."

Alice ambled up to her friend and kissed her cheeks lightly.

"Aww, Bella, honey, it's no bother."

While Alice went to get Bella some clothes, Edward made breakfast, and Bella called Rosalie on Edward's landline.

_"Bella, is that you?" _Rosalie did, indeed, sound frantic.

"Rosie, I am so sorry. I'm at Edward's. It's a long story!"

_"It doesn't matter. I just got worried because you weren't there when I took the kids to school for Breakfast Club, and your car was gone. You left behind your handbag, and I thought something bad might have happened to Esme or to Edward."_

"No, they're fine. Are you sure that's it?"

_"OK, there was something else that freaked me out. When I got back home from the school, I saw Jacob Black on our doorstep, knocking on the door and looking through the letter-flap."_

"He was at the house? Did you talk to him?"

_"No. I hid behind Mrs Bannerman's oak tree until he got into his stupid Lotus Elise and drove off. He left you something."_

"What?"

_"A bunch of flowers. Pink lilies and a card. It says 'Bella, thinking of you, thinking of us, Jacob x-o-o-x.'"_

"Yuck. I hate pink, and I hate lilies. They smell weird."

_"Totally. What are your plans for the day?"_ Bella told her. "_All right, I'll come into work now, and I'll get your bag too. See you in about half an hour. Love you, Bellsie."_

"Love you back, Rosie. Bye."

"He brought flowers round to your house?" Bella looked up from the phone to see Edward carrying a tray of tea and toast.

"Apparently. But he hasn't called or texted; I don't understand what he's doing."

"Me neither, but he's definitely getting desperate," Edward grumbled. "Have you heard from the police inspector at all?"

"I had a message yesterday from Angela saying that the police are talking to the Prosecution Service before they bring him in for questioning. They think that they can surely get him for assault, but they're less sure about whether they have enough evidence to add intent to rape."

"Please, love, be careful. I know you want to be civil around him, but he's dangerous."

"I will, _mon ange, _I promise."

-cc-

Sue Clearwater was busy typing up a pile of custody reports when there was a knock on her door.

"Come in!"

She wasn't altogether surprised to see Jared Martin walk through her door with a grave expression on his face.

_I've been expecting you. _

"Hello, Jared. How are you? Please sit down." She gestured to a chair opposite her desk in her tiny office, and he duly sat. "How's your mother?"

Stratford-upon-Avon wasn't a big place, and most residents had friends in common or family connections to one another. Jared's mother April, and Sue had gone to school together, and Jared and Sue's older daughter Leah had once been in the same swimming class as children.

"She's fine thanks. But, actually, this isn't a social call."

"I didn't think it was."

"I'm here to ask you some questions about a case the Fraud Team is investigating. It may be that during the course of questioning, I deem it necessary to halt the interview to ask for a police presence, or to alert you that you may require the presence of your own lawyer. You must not disclose the nature of this interview to any parties except those authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service. Do you accept these terms?"

Sue stood up, turned off her computer and picked up her handbag.

"I've been waiting for you to come find me. Part of me hoped you'd manage to build a case without finding me, but here you are. I'll tell you absolutely everything about Billy Black and the King case," Jared's mouth dropped open, "but not here. I'll come with you to the CPS offices."

"Are you sure? What about Seth?"

"I presume that he's been pulled off the case?" Jared nodded. "I bet he's sore about it, my poor boy. He's worked so hard. I'll tell him afterwards about my part, and why I did it, but it's a conversation I need to have with him when my husband is around."

"Um, all right then."

An hour later, Jared had a full explanation from Sue Clearwater as to her role in burying the King case, and the reasons why. He was surprised to learn that when Emmett Cullen took up office as Sector Crown Prosecutor, she had been the one to ensure that the King case file ended up on his desk, and that she had directed Seth to the evidence in the out-of-town lock-up. She also confirmed that there was even more evidence there, which Seth had not found. Jared guaranteed not to prosecute her for perverting the course of justice if she testified against Royce King, Billy and Jacob Black. She agreed without hesitation, and handed in her notice immediately upon her return to her office.

-cc-

Emmett met Bella and Edward at the hospital for afternoon visiting hours at just after two o'clock. He had rushed to get there on time and arrived flushed.

"Sorry I'm late. We had a key breakthrough in a case and ..."

"Relax, Em. Anyone would think that I was the laid-back one." Interrupted Edward. "You're here now, let's go see our sister."

Esme had been moved out of ICU and to the main postnatal ward. Emmett, Edward and Bella were happily surprised to see her looking almost back to her usual self.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Esme cried. "I'm so bored! They make me come back to the ward between twelve and two for lunch and a 'rest' but how can I rest when my baby girl is across the corridor?"

"Let's get you over there, then," replied Bella, spying a wheelchair in the corner of the room. "We can't wait to see her again."

"Sis, you called her 'Elizabeth'?" asked Edward.

"I know. I thought I'd have time to tell you my baby names, but I knew what they were from the moment I saw the first scan," she explained. "'Elizabeth' suits her, doesn't it?"

Nobody could deny the fact that it was the perfect name.

"And 'Isabella?'" enquired Bella softly. Esme reached for her hand.

"After my dear friend and, hopefully, my baby's godmother? What do you think?"

"Oh ... my ..." Bella's eyes filled with happy tears. "Really? Me?"

"Of course! Who else _but_ you to guide my daughter and show her grace, the beauty and wonder of life, and true selflessness?"

Bella couldn't help it. She started bawling.

"I-I promise I'll look after her as if she were my own," Bella replied, sniffling yet smiling.

"Shall we go see the little lady?" suggested Emmett.

They got Esme into the wheelchair and took her across to SCBU, where Carlisle was feeding her. His face lit up when he saw Esme.

"Darling, Beth here's desperate to see you!" he exclaimed.

"'Beth?'"

"I'm just trying it out. There are so many abbreviations of Elizabeth after all."

"I like 'Beth.' Let's stick with it. Our baby Beth." Esme held her arms out and Carlisle passed Beth to her, before dropping a kiss onto his beloved wife's forehead.

The Cullens and Bella spent the afternoon in and out of Beth's room. With help from the neonatologists, she no longer needed extra oxygen, and was likely to be discharged from SCBU within a couple of days.

About an hour into the visit, Emmett got a call on his mobile from Kim, and excused himself to answer.

"Kim, what's happening?"

_"Jared went to see Sue Clearwater. She confessed that she had a role to play, and has agreed to testify in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Jared wants to proceed with charging the Blacks and Royce King, today."_

"Have they got the cooperation of the police, both here and in Jersey?"

_"Yes. West Midlands Police Officers are ready to enter Billy Black's office in Central Birmingham. Warwickshire Police have tracked Jacob Black to your brother's recording studios in Henley-in-Arden and are ready to go. Jersey Police have surrounded Royce King's workplace, and the extradition papers are all sorted out. Warwickshire Police and Jersey Police both have warrants and teams ready to search Billy Black's and Royce King's residences and workplaces. The Metropolitan Police have their warrant and are just waiting for the okay to raid Jacob Black's London flat. We can move simultaneously."_

Emmett said a silent prayer of thanks for his department's organisational skills.

"Good. Make sure that all police involved in the home and workplace searches are on the lookout for evidence of drugs, and remind them to seize all laptops, mobile phones and passports as a priority," he instructed. "They're good to go now?"

_"Yes. It will go down within two minutes of your go-ahead."_

"Consider this my go-ahead. Tell Jared to do it. Have the bastards arrested."

"_Done. I'll call you with a progress update in thirty minutes."_

"Great, thanks. Talk to you later."

He hung up the call and picked up his other mobile phone.

-cc-

Alice felt restless. Something significant was about to go down; she could feel it in the air. Her heart thumped wildly and she felt her skin prickle with anticipation. She opened the door of her office and peered into the hallway, but it was empty. Suddenly Rosalie rounded the corner, clutching her mobile phone.

"Alice, have you seen Bella? Is she in her office?"

"No, she's gone to the hospital with Edward to see Esme. She has her phone with her though. I saw her get it from her car this morning."

"Mmm ... no, it's all right. I just wanted to ..." Rosalie looked flustered, which was unusual for her. "... never mind."

"Rosalie, what's going on?"

Rosalie paused, debating whether to tell her friend and boss that they were about to be invaded by a shitload of Warwickshire Police officers.

_Oh, hell, in about a minute, she'll find out anyway. _

"Um, okay, don't freak out about this, but the police are about to arrive." Rosalie hurriedly explained why, just as the sound of several cars arriving on the gravel front drive could be heard.

"Shit! Let's get our asses to reception!"

Alice in her new, Jimmy Choo, spike-heeled boots, and Rosalie in her well-preserved, Kurt Geiger, black patent, stack-heeled pumps, ran as fast as their footwear would allow, and arrived just as three plain-clothed officers, and four uniformed officers walked through the front doors into the lobby.

"Hello officers, I'm Alice Whitlock, one of the proprietors of The Elizabeth Studios. How may we help?"

"We understand that Jacob Black is currently on the premises. We need to talk to him."

"If you'll just follow Rosalie," she gestured to Rosalie, who was bouncing on her heels anxiously, "and me, we'll _gladly_ show you to our acoustic studio where Mr Black currently is."

The police officers followed Alice and Rosalie like they were the Pied Piper, into the production wing. On arrival, Alice and Rosalie ducked into the recording booth, surprising the Prince Records executives who were supervising the recording of The Hunters' album, and watched through the large glass window as the police officers trooped into the studio, where Jacob was talking to the band.

"Jacob Black?"

"Yes? Who the hell are you and what the fuck do you think you're doing interrupting our recording session ..."

"I suggest you watch your language ..."

"I'll speak however the fuck I want! I ..."

"Jacob Ephraim Black," the most senior police officer began, "you are under arrest on suspicion of seven counts of embezzlement, fraud and money laundering," he indicated to the uniformed officers at the door, who then entered the studios and moved towards Jacob with handcuffs.

"Jacob, what are they talking about?" asked a confused, irate James Hunter.

"It's a mistake ..."

"... You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you do not mention when questioned something which you later rely on in court. Anything you do say may be given in evidence ..."

Alice looked at Rosalie, who looked ashen, and gave her friend a hug.

"I'm okay, I just never thought I'd see this day," Rosalie whispered.

They turned their attention back to the scene in the studio, where Victoria, Irina and Laurent had shrunk back to the edge of the room, while James ranted and raved and screamed in the police officers' faces. One of the plain-clothes officers took Jacob's mobile phone and wallet from his jacket pocket just as he attempted to reach for the former, which caused him to yell in desperation.

One of the police officers, sick of James, arrested him for impeding an arrest and assault when he kicked over a microphone stand and attempted to sock the officer in the eye. As they led Jacob and James away, cuffed, Rosalie caught Jacob's eye. While he stared at her, she narrowed her eyes but didn't give him the satisfaction of any other reaction. After she watched the police officers put him in the patrol car and drive him away, she finally allowed herself the luxury of tears of relief.

-cc-

"So, they've all been arrested, Billy, Jacob and Royce?" Bella checked, not quite able to believe what Emmett had just told her.

"Yes, that's right."

Bella snuggled into Edward's side, needing his comfort. He gladly obliged.

"Look, Emmett, now that Jacob's been arrested, there's something I should tell you, something else he did."

"By any chance, is what you're about to say anything to do with a lurid orange drink and glass currently sitting in the Warwickshire Police evidence lock-up, and your best friend?"

"Yes! How did you know?"

"Chief Inspector Kennedy came to talk to one of my colleagues yesterday because the evidence you brought was sound, and he wanted to know whether there was enough to arrest Jacob."

"And is there?"

"Mmm ... enough to bring him in for questioning, but as things stand, it's a bit shaky to actually charge him. The evidence doesn't categorically prove intent to rape. However, the police are searching Jacob's flat in London, his father's house in Stratford, and his house in Jersey, as well as confiscating his phones and laptop, so we're sure that there will be enough soon. But I've told them that I can't really be involved because of our connections, so after this, I won't be able to answer your questions."

"I understand. Thank you Emmett," said Bella.

"Seriously, Big Bro, thank you," added Edward. "I know you've worked your butt off to get this justice for Bella and her family."

"Yeah, you've gone above and beyond."

Emmett looked at his brother and his girl, their arms around each other, relaxed and at peace.

_It won't be too long until it's me and Rosalie._

"Worth it just to see you both so happy."

-cc-

* * *

**AN: Thanks for reading. The next chapter will go up in a week's time, next Sunday. There was a reference to anal intercourse in this chapter, but there are no other references or descriptions of it in the rest of the story.**

**Looking for something fun and naughty to read? Check out the Dirty Talkin' Edward contest, and please vote when voting opens. **

** u/4742504/**


	34. Chapter 34

**AN: Hi all. Thank you once again for your reviews. **

**As you've probably guessed, this story is starting to wind down, with three regular chapters, an epilogue and the F4OK outtake left to post. After this story is complete, I'll be taking a few weeks off before publishing a new story in October. **

**As usual, my wonderful pre-reader and beta SunflowerFran has been hard at work, turning my words into a shiny chapter. **

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's ****_Persuasion._**** I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for bad language and lemons. If you don't like these, please don't read it. Chapters 34 and 35 contain references to police and legal procedures. I'm not a lawyer; I've tried to make them as accurate as possible, but at the end of the day it's fiction. If an inaccurate detail bothers you, please let me know via a PM. **

**Thank you muchly! **

* * *

**Chapter Thirty-Four**

Mid-November 2012

"Are you sure I should be here, my little lamb?" asked Charlie nervously as he, Bella, Rosalie and the twins approached Riverview Place. "Carlisle and Esme don't know me that well and ..."

"Dad, it's a family party to celebrate Esme and Beth's homecoming. They see us as family, and they asked me to beg you to come because they want to get to know you better," reassured Bella.

Bella parked Edward's Volvo XC90 (he insisted she use it to pick Charlie up) in the driveway behind Alice's new, bright yellow Porsche Cayenne. Carlisle had been watching from the window of the piano room, and opened the door for them.

"Welcome, welcome. It's so good that all of you could come!" he cried. "Charlie, I'm so happy to see you." He held out his hand and Charlie shook it warmly. "Come in."

Carlisle showed them through to the living room, where Esme was sitting in an armchair, cradling a sleeping Beth in her arms. They had been in hospital for twelve days in total and had been back at home for two.

"Oh Esme, she's adorable," gushed Rosalie. She kissed Esme on the cheek before stroking Beth's silky forehead.

"She's so tiny!" whispered Gemma, a little scared to approach. George began to say something and she promptly clamped her hand over his mouth. "Don't yell, Georgie, you'll wake her up."

"I wasn't going to yell," he replied indignantly, in a quieter voice than usual. "Esme, it's weird to see you without a big bump." Esme giggled. She and Carlisle looked tired but ecstatically happy.

"Come over and say hi to Beth, kids."

While Charlie, Rosalie and the twins chatted to Esme and Carlisle in the living room, Bella went to find everyone else in the kitchen. Jasper was laying the table to Alice's exact instructions while she sorted out the drinks. Edward and Emmett were finishing up the food for lunch.

"Hey," Bella came up next to Edward, who was stirring a large pot of butternut squash and lentil soup. "Need a hand?"

"No, we're good, nearly done." He slipped his hand around her waist and brought her closer. "I missed you last night," he whispered into her ear before nipping at her earlobe.

"Missed you too," she whispered back, turning to kiss his jawline until her lips met his. "Did you bring the ring?"

"Yes. Are you sure you don't want to see it before we tell everyone? I'm worried you won't like it, love, and you hate surprises."

"You know me better than anyone. You know what I like, and what I'll hate. As long as you haven't gotten me something big and bling, I'll love it."

"What are you two whispering about?" asked Alice, curiosity overcoming her.

"Nothing," Edward replied. Alice looked at them sceptically.

"I know something's up ..."

"Oh look, soup's ready, why don't you call everyone in for lunch?"

Alice narrowed her eyes at them but turned on her heel and headed to the living room.

Lunch was casual. After the soup, Emmett produced a joint of roast lamb for the carnivores, while Edward made Bella's recipe of baked courgettes with feta cheese, tomato and olive sauce for himself, as well as for Bella, Jasper and Gemma, who had recently made the choice to be vegetarian. The talk mainly centred on baby Beth who enchanted everyone.

There was also a lot of conversation about Billy, Jacob and Royce; the preliminary hearing had taken place at the Crown Court two days earlier. They had all pleaded not guilty. Billy had been granted bail as his charge of perverting the course of justice was relatively minor in seriousness. Jacob and Royce might have been granted bail, but it didn't happen because of the hard word of all involved. Sam Uley, Colin Kennedy and their respective colleagues at the Crown Prosecution Service SVAR team, and Warwickshire Police's Sexual Offences Unit, managed to process enough evidence from the raids on Jacob's and Royce's properties to charge them with a myriad of offences. These ranged from assault with intent to rape, and rape, to drug dealing and manufacture.

The judge, the Honourable John Gerandy, looked at the preliminary evidence, then glanced at the lawyers representing Jacob and Royce, and laughed in their faces at the request for bail. The rape and drugs offences trial was scheduled for late January, ten weeks away, and the fraud trial would follow immediately afterwards.

Colin Kennedy had told Bella, Jessica and Charlie that when they raided the houses in Jersey, and Royce's place of work, they found enough drugs, mainly GHB, Ketamine and Rohypnol, to sink a small army. Both men had videos and pictures of 'conquests'. Bella was thankful that there were no pictures of her. She felt sick at the thought.

In addition, they had confiscated all their mobile phones. Text messages between Jacob and Royce suggested that Jacob had intended to take Jessica home on the night of the AJE Records' Showcase in London, but when he saw Bella there, he left; he hadn't known that she worked for AJE and was not ready for him to see her. Afterwards, he refocused his attentions on her.

Bella had been Jacob intended target on the night of Angela's birthday. He had known from his father that she used to work at The Stag and hung out there hoping she'd show up. When she showed up but then left very quickly, he targeted Angela instead, unaware she was Bella's best friend. He bragged to Royce, in a text before the Halloween party, that he was sure that he'd get Bella that night, and later cursed up a storm when his plan didn't work. Despite the evidence presented, they both pleaded not guilty.

Once the main course plates had been cleared away, and Bella's apple and plum pie was being served, Edward glanced at his future wife, and she nodded. Conveniently there was a lull in the conversation, so Edward tapped the side of his water glass with his spoon. The room quietened instantly.

"Um, since we're all gathered, I just wanted to say a few words. Firstly, Esme, words can't express how happy we are to have you back home with our Beth. You terrified us there for a while, but you're home now, and that's the main thing." He paused and sipped his water to soften his dry throat. "The other thing that we wanted to tell you all is that a couple of weeks ago, Bella and I had a really important conversation about the future. Bella, love?"

Bella kissed his cheek and turned to her family, turning pink anticipatorily.

"We did. To cut a long story short, I ended up asking Edward to marry me."

"And of course, I said yes," he replied, turning to Bella and kissing her softly on the lips. The rest of the room gasped, and then Alice squealed her little pixie head off.

"I knew it! I KNEW IT! You guys!" She started to get up.

"Wait, wait, we're not done!"

"Don't say you're pregnant too," chuckled Emmett.

"No, bro," replied Edward. "Bella hasn't seen her ring yet. For once in her life, she's happy to have a surprise."

Edward stood up and dropped to his knee in front of Bella. He pulled out a black, velvet ring box and opened it to reveal a platinum filigree ring with a single, princess-cut diamond, surrounded by a delicate band of sapphire. Bella almost fainted in shock at its beauty.

"Isabella Marie Swan. You have been the love of my life since the moment we met. Even though certain fates conspired against us, including my own stupidity, in the end nothing could keep us apart. You asked me to be your husband. Please accept this ring as a sign that I accept. Be mine, love, _toujours."_

"I will," Bella replied. "I do!" She let him put the ring on her finger, and then slid onto her knees and fell into his arms. "I love you, _mon ange."_

"I love you."

"Woo-hoo! Edward 'n' Bella are gettin' hitched!" cried Jasper. Everyone started clapping and chattering excitedly. Edward and Bella got to their feet and sat down at the table again, holding hands.

"OMG! How did you ask?" demanded Alice.

"Edward wrote me a piece of music to tell me how much he loved me and only me. I put words to it, and realised that I didn't want to spend another moment without him knowing that I wanted to someday be his wife. So I turned up in the rain looking like a drenched rat ..."

"The most beautiful drenched rat in the universe," interjected Edward, causing Bella to giggle uncharacteristically loudly.

"... and asked him," she finished.

"Oh that was the morning when I came banging on your door ..." Alice realised. "Oops!"

"Doesn't matter," Bella grinned. "But while we're announcing things, we actually have more news to share," Bella told everyone before they could get up to hug her. She grinned at Edward, who was the only one who knew what she was about to say. Her audience hushed and waited expectantly. "Yesterday, I signed a four-book deal with Atomic Publishing."

"You did it?" asked Charlie, going misty eyed. "My little lamb's getting published?"

"Yes, Daddy," she replied. "They're publishing my novel _The Nadir and the Zenith_ first, in April, and they're hopefully publishing the first of my _Arden's Delights _trilogy in October."

"Oh my girl ... I'm so proud, Bella. You deserve this."

"Thank you. It took me a little while to agree on the deal because originally, they wanted me to be away for a whole three months, full time, but we've compromised."

"What did you decide?" asked Alice.

"Are you still going to have to go away?" added Carlisle.

"We agreed on a staggered eight-week book tour in April and May, with me spending no more than four days a week away, and that I'll do more TV, radio and print interviews than they originally planned. If the book does well here, they want to launch in North America, and in that case, I'll do a three-week tour in the USA and Canada in late July or early August, and they'll pay for me to bring the family along. When the first _Arden's Delights _novel is released in October, we'll have a similar arrangement."

"That's really reasonable," commented Jasper. "Well done, Bella!"

One by one, everyone got up to hug and congratulate Edward and Bella, but when Gemma came up to them, it was clear that she was upset.

"Gem, sweetie, what's the matter?"

"You're marrying Edward, so you're going to be going to live with him, which means you won't be living with us anymore," she whispered, tears rolling down her face. "And when you go away we won't see you at all."

"Oh Gemma, of course you'll see me. I am going to move out but not until after Christmas. Remember how Mummy said that she wants a bigger house?" Gemma nodded. "Well, when you, Mummy and Georgie move into the big house, that's when I'll move too. But I'm not going to be far away, and even when I go away for my book tour, I'll be home at weekends. You'll still see me all the time."

"Promise?"

"I promise, sweetie." Gemma hugged her aunt, and then her uncle-to-be, much happier now that she had been reassured.

"Auntie Bella, now that you're getting married to Edward, maybe we could find Mummy someone to marry too!" suggested George. Bella involuntarily glanced at Rosalie, who was deeply embarrassed, and then at Emmett, who had looked away, apparently very interested in his piece of pie.

"Well, let's see ..." countered Bella, chuckling. "Have you got anyone in mind, Georgie?"

George looked at all the men in the room, seriously considering the options.

"Well, he would have to be big and strong, and very clever, but also have to be nice to people. And they couldn't be getting married to anyone else ... Hmm ... oh, I know! I know!"

"Who?"

"Emm-itt!"

Emmett coughed on a mouthful of apple and pastry, and Rosalie nearly knocked over her empty wine glass.

"Oh Georgie, yes, that's a really good idea!" echoed Gemma. "Mummy, you could go out with Emmett!"

"Oh, um, uh," Rosalie looked up at Bella, mouthing curse words at her, and then at everyone else in the room. All the adults except Emmett looked back at her bemused. Emmett looked mortified and red-faced.

_Are eight-year olds even supposed to know about dating?_

"I'll think about it." Edward was intrigued; it wasn't like his older brother to get embarrassed about anything.

The group dissipated. The men took George out to play football as he was getting restless. Esme, delighted to have a house full of family, was content to chat to Rosalie, Bella, Alice and Gemma while _A Cinderella Story_ played on the TV; it was one of Gemma's favourite movies. Rosalie and Esme began chatting about babies and sleep routines, while Gemma became engrossed in the movie. Alice slid along the sofa until she was next to Bella and slung her arm around her friend's shoulder.

"I'm so pleased for you and Edward, Bella. He's whole now. It's a beautiful thing to see."

"I'm whole now too. I'm so happy."

Alice glanced over at Rosalie and dropped her voice to a whisper.

"How would you feel if your sister actually did start dating Emmett? They have great chemistry. When they were dancing together at Halloween, it was smoking hot, and I get the feeling they were actually holding back. Today they keep looking at each other and ducking like teenagers."

"I'd be okay with it," ventured Bella, not wanting to give anything away. "Emmett's great."

"Bella, you can't hide anything for shit. You've gone pink. What's going on? Are they seeing each other?"

"Alice, Rosalie has said nothing to me. You're right that they have chemistry, but don't even think about trying to set them up. When it's right for them, it'll happen."

"You said 'when' not 'if.'"

Bella shrugged, deciding that it was probably better for her to keep her mouth shut than give anything else away, and turned back to the movie. Alice smiled to herself. She knew something was going on, and she knew Bella knew more than she let on, but decided to let it go. She suspected that there was a plan, and Bella was fully aware of what it entailed.

Not five minutes later, it started to rain, and the guys came indoors. Carlisle was about to suggest a game of pool when Emmett's mobile rang.

"On a Sunday, Em?" grumbled Esme.

"I'm sorry, sis." He glanced at the screen. _Jared Martin. _"I have to take this."

Emmett ducked out of the living room and into the piano room.

"Jared?"

_"Hi, boss. I'm so sorry to call on a Sunday, but we've had a development in the King and Black cases, and I wanted you to be forewarned."_

"What?"

_"They've fired their defence team and have brought in a new one in from London. The lead's a real shark, apparently, an old friend of Billy Black's."_

"We've got a shitload of evidence. So what if they've got new lawyers?"

_"He's claiming that our evidence is compromised because of Seth, and his mother being one of our key witnesses and all. He's also claiming that it's unfair that bail was withheld because neither King nor Jacob Black have previous convictions, and that Judge Gerandy was biased. Apparently, he went to law school with Charles Swan."_

_"_What utter bollocks!" cried Emmett. "Virtually all the judges know Charles Swan! He was Chief Prosecutor for fifteen years! Is the new defender pushing for a new preliminary hearing?"

_"He's got one, with a new judge, Joshua Lewis, on Tuesday. Boss, he's shouting really loud. There's an actual possibility they might be granted bail."_

"Great," Emmett replied sarcastically. "What's the hotshot defender's name? Maybe Charles Swan knows him and can give us some inside info."

_"Philip Dwyer."_

"Thanks for letting me know Jared. Go enjoy the rest of your Sunday. I need 110% from you and your team tomorrow if we're going to nail these dickheads."

_"Will do boss. Bye."_

"Bye."

Emmett hung up the phone and headed back to the living room..

"Everything all right?" asked Edward.

"Hmm, just an unexpected development in a case," Emmett replied. "Say, Charlie?"

"Yup?"

"Do you know a defence lawyer from London called Philip Dwyer?"

Bella, Rosalie and Charlie all froze in their tracks.

"Wh-why?"

Edward saw Bella tremble, and immediately sat down next to her.

"I do indeed know Phil Dwyer, Emmett. Why do you want to know about him?"

"Billy and Jacob Black, and Royce King have just hired him as their new defence lawyer."

That bloody f ...!" Rosalie stood up and was about to let out a long stream of blue words when she spotted the twins looking up at her. "Babies, why don't you two go show Carlisle how well you play pool?" She looked at Carlisle pleadingly.

"I'll bet you two are great," he added, catching on immediately. "Why don't we get chocolate milk and Hob-Nobs on the way down?"

"That sounds wonderful, Carlisle," echoed Alice, picking up on Rosalie's distress. "Jasper, don't you agree?" she asked her husband.

"Completely, baby," he replied. "I love me some Hob-Nobs. Let's go, kids!"

George bounced up and down on the spot, as usual oblivious to the tension in the room, but Gemma, always very intuitive, got it right away. She didn't complain, however; she merely pressed pause on the TV remote and followed Carlisle, Alice and Jasper.

"What have we missed, Rosalie?" asked Emmett, resisting the urge to go over and hold her. They talked most nights, but it had been months since they'd touched each other.

"Philip Dwyer is our stepfather," she explained.

"My former colleague and protégé, and the former Sector Crown Prosecutor for Central Birmingham," added Charlie. "He's damn good at his job. If he hadn't run off to London with my ex-wife, I would have recommended him for Chief Crown Prosecutor one day."

"Shit." Emmett explained about the new hearing.

"Fan-bloody-tastic!" cried Rosalie. "So Royce and Jacob are going to be free on the streets?"

"It might not come to that, Tiger," said Charlie, trying to assuage his daughter.

"Rosie, I, for one, am not going to let them bring us down," added Bella. "I've spent too long living half a life. Jacob and Royce will get what's coming to them."

"I don't want to see them, Bellsie. I don't want to face any of them," Rosalie whispered, aching to feel Emmett's arms around her. Instead, she got her sister's.

"We won't. I'm sure that no judge would be stupid enough to let two accused rapists and fraudsters out without some sort of restraining order. But even if our paths cross, we've coped with so much and got so strong that we can deal with those pathetic dickheads," said Bella, feeling the need to be confident for her sister; for once Rosalie was the scared one.

"Yeah, you're right, but it doesn't stop me from feeling sick at the thought," replied Rosalie. "God, my head's throbbing now, and I feel sick."

"Why don't you go upstairs and have a little lie-down?" suggested Esme. "We can wake you in half an hour or so."

"You don't mind?"

"No, not at all."

After Rosalie went to what had been her old bedroom to rest, Esme decided to change Beth's nappy and feed her, and then rest herself. Charlie, Bella, Edward and Emmett were left to talk. Charlie asked them about wedding plans. Bella and Edward explained that they were planning a small, low-key ceremony in the next twelve months, although they hadn't decided on a date or any details.

"How likely is the new judge to grant them bail?" asked Edward. "I mean, surely he's going to take one look at the evidence and do what the last judge did."

"It's difficult to say, son," Charlie replied, unaware that his casual use of the word 'son' shocked Edward to the core. _I haven't been called that for over thirteen years._ "Judges vary wildly in their sympathy with victims and the importance they put on previous criminal convictions. Jacob can be very charming when he wants to be, as can Royce, which doesn't help things."

"Surely the fact that the police have sacks full of evidence for all charges will count against them?" asked Bella, who held Edward's hand in his lap, quite comfortable nowadays to show her fiancé affection in front of her father.

"The preliminary hearing isn't there to establish guilt, my little lamb. That's what the trial is for. The preliminary is only to establish the plea, and the appropriateness of bail."

"My guys are going to do what they can to keep them on remand, Bella," added Emmett. "If I need to, I'll go down there myself."

"You'll do no such thing!" exclaimed Charlie, before shrinking back in his chair, embarrassed at his outburst. "I'm sorry Emmett, it's just ... never mind. Sometimes I forget I'm not the Chief anymore."

"Err ... no worries," Emmett murmured, although he gave Charlie a look that indicated he knew the exact reason for Charlie's eruption.

_Always the consummate ethical professional, eh Charlie? You don't want the trial compromised by my presence, because I love your Rosalie._

"I think it's time for tea and biscuits," commented Bella. She stood up and held her hand out to her fiancé. "Edward, will you help me, _mon ange?"_

"Of course, love," he replied, confused. He took her hand and they went to the kitchen.

"God, Emmett, I really am sorry," Charlie said when they were out of the room. "I just don't want anyone to question the validity of the trial, or your ethics, or your relationship with Rosalie."

"I get it, Charlie. It just kills me not to be able to tell my brother. I've been carrying this secret for five months, and it's so bloody hard."

"I know, son. You don't know how many nights I've spent wishing that Rosalie met you before she married Royce, and that I had never kept Bella and Edward apart. But then we wouldn't have George and Gemma ..."

"... and they're wonderful kids," finished Emmett. "Everything happens for a reason, Charlie."

"Exactly."

The two men got up as the sound of the whistling kettle grew louder, each ready for a cup of tea. Alice came up too, deciding that pool was not her game. Bella made up a big pot and mixed a mug of it with lots of milk and two teaspoons of sugar.

"Emmett?"

"Mmm?"

"Would you mind running this tea up to Rosalie and waking her?"

"Oh, ah ..."

"Don't worry, she might seem prickly, but she doesn't bite!" Bella joked. Alice caught her eye. _ Oh Bella. You sure are a sneaky one. _

"Of course, no problem."

Emmett took hold of Rosalie's mug, and, Bella noted with interest, his own, and headed upstairs. Rosalie was fast asleep when he entered the room, her natural, honey-blonde hair escaping from her braid. He looked behind him and then quietly kicked the door shut.

"Rosalie, wake up gorgeous," he whispered, setting the mugs down on the bedside table and crouching beside her.

"Emmett," she mumbled, "I need you."

"I'm right here, love."

Rosalie thought she was dreaming, but she could feel Emmett's warmth, and she could smell his spicy cologne, so she opened her eyes to check, and there he was. She sat up abruptly.

"God, I must be a complete mess," she grumbled, trying to smooth her hair down. Emmett sat next to her and took her hands away from her hair.

"You are beautiful, no matter what you wear or how your hair looks," he told her, cupping her face. "I've missed you so much."

"Me too, handsome."

She lay back and beckoned him into her arms. When they emerged twenty minutes later, they told everyone that they had been talking legal matters, but their mutually improved mood was noticed by all.

-cc-

On the following Tuesday, Rosalie and Bella took the afternoon off to go house-hunting. Bella would be moving into Edward's cottage by the studios when Rosalie moved house; the cottage had plenty of space and Bella didn't have much stuff.

Rosalie had seen several houses in the past couple of weeks, but none had been quite right. That Tuesday, after seeing another three houses, which Rosalie found fault with, they approached the final house on their list.

"God, I hope this house is the one," sighed Rosalie. "Its location is perfect. It's still within walking distance to the twins' school, and it's very modern. It has parking and a large garden, but not too big for me to maintain. The room sizes look great and it's well within budget. I'm just wondering what the catch is."

"There may not be one," replied Bella. She turned Edward's Volvo XC90 down a wide, leafy street. "You realise that this house is also less than ten minutes' walk to Riverview Place?"

"I know, another one of its appeals."

Bella parked behind what she assumed was the property agent's car. It was a modern detached house, with an immaculate, paved driveway lined with a small, trimmed hedge. There was a large bay window, a clean white frontage and a double garage.

"Wow."

Both sisters were impressed.

"There has to be a catch," mumbled Rosalie as they approached. The agent, a tall, buxom brunette in her early thirties, opened the door before they could ring the doorbell.

"Ms King?" Rosalie nodded. "I'm Claire Ateara from Avonside Properties. Please come in."

"Thank you. This is my sister, Bella."

The women shook hands and then Claire took them on a tour of the house. With every room they visited, Rosalie became more and more impressed. By the time they finished and sat down in the large kitchen to talk, she was officially in love with the house.

"Is this price correct, Claire?" she asked. "It seems quite low given the features and the location."

"No, that's the price. The landlord insisted on it."

"How long has it been on the market?"

"Around six weeks. Several people have viewed it and put in offers, but the landlord is unusually picky. It's a company who own the house, EMC Holdings Inc. I don't know why but they've said no to all of the applicants so far. Their rep says they're waiting for the right tenant."

"Great! Told you there was a catch, Bellsie."

"Look, it can't hurt to put in an application, right?" Bella suggested. "In the meantime, we can keep looking." Claire nodded her agreement.

"Yes, all right."

"I have the paperwork right here if you'd like. I can have a decision for you in twenty-four hours."

Rosalie filled in all the application forms, and then she and Bella decided to take advantage of the rest of their free afternoon by going to have coffee and cake with Angela. They were trying not to think about the repeat hearing, which was scheduled for that afternoon. Charlie had taken the afternoon off as well, in order to attend, and was coming over to Rosalie and Bella's house that evening to tell them what happened over dinner. The twins were on a school field trip in Wales and would not be back until the following day. After parking the car at home, they walked the ten minutes into town to meet Angela at her gallery.

"Hello!" Angela was her usual cheery self as she greeted her friends. "Come into the back office for a minute. I just have to finish up an invoice which needs to go out today."

They took a seat on the large, white leather chaise longue in Angela's expansive office. The walls were lined with a mixture of Angela's personal photographs, drawings and pieces of abstract mixed-materials artwork, which were too personal for her to sell. Most had connections to family or friends or to significant events in her life. They were mesmerising and not for the first time, Bella and Rosalie were struck by their friend's talent.

Just as they were about to leave for Rosalind's Café, Angela's gallery assistant, Renata, came into the office.

"Sorry to interrupt as you're heading out, but there's a lady asking for the manager. She wants to talk about buying _Bluebells_."

"But it very clearly states that the piece is not for sale," Angela replied. _Bluebells_ was Angela's degree piece, for which she got First Class Honours. It was a massive canvas which used mosaics of photograph tiles to make a picture of a field of bluebells, her favourite flower. It had taken Angela a year to do, and it took up the back wall of the gallery.

"I said that, but she's not taking 'no' for an answer."

Angela rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, just give me a minute," she told Bella and Rosalie.

"No rush, Ang," replied Bella.

"Yeah, take your time," echoed Rosalie. "We're all right just looking around."

Angela left her friends looking at her creations in her office while she went to talk to the customer, who was hovering by _Bluebells._

"Excuse me?" she said as she approached the older woman. "I'm the proprietor of this gallery, Angela ..." the customer turned around and Angela nearly fell over in shock as she took in the older, overly made-up version of her best friends' mother, Renee. "... Cheney."

"Oh, hi," Renee replied, seeming not to recognise Angela, despite the fact that she had spent at least one weekend a month at Bella's house when they were teenagers, but then, it had always been Charlie who showed an interest in what she and Bella were up to, not Renee. "Your minion said that this piece isn't for sale."

"That's right. It's highly personal to me."

"Well, it's stunning. I have to have it. It will be perfect for my dining room in London. Name your price."

"I'm sorry, it's not for sale," Angela repeated. "It's priceless."

"Don't be ridiculous!" Renee snapped, her voice growing louder. "Everything has a price!"

Angela involuntarily looked over her shoulder to the office. She wasn't sure if Bella and Rosalie could hear, and she wasn't sure if she wanted them to hear.

"I spent a year making this piece. I took every photograph which make up the mosaic tiles, and put it together by hand; it took me over a year. My husband proposed to me in front of it. No money could make up for losing it."

"Look, I'm prepared to pay a six figure sum for it, which is more money than you probably make in a year, honey, so get over your sentimentality and name a goddamn price!"

Bella and Rosalie, studying a collection of photographs of animals in Kenya, taken when Angela and Ben went on a safari holiday there a couple of years earlier, heard the screeching voice and both froze.

"Surely ... it can't be ..." whispered Rosalie.

"It is. I've heard it more recently, remember?" Bella whispered back.

"The shit she's trying to pull with Angela is so fucking typical. I swear, our whole childhood consisted of her demanding one thing or another and making us feel responsible when she was unhappy. I've had enough of hearing her annoy our friend; it's time to sweep out the rubbish, Bellsie."

"I couldn't agree more," agreed Bella. "Let's go."

The sisters linked arms and walked around to the main gallery area.

" ... well, I think you're being very unreasonable, _Angela,_" Renee was sneering at their friend, " and I'm going to make sure all my friends here know not to do business with you ..."

"What friends?" interrupted Rosalie. "You haven't lived in Stratford for over seven years, _Renee._ The people who actually remember you only think of you as Charles Swan's gold-digging, selfish bitch of an ex-wife,_" _she added.

"Rosalie! Bella! What are you doing here? How dare you ..."

"You've more than outstayed your welcome," added Bella. "I think Angela, my best friend, has made it clear that _Bluebells_ is not for sale. You do not belong here, Renee."

"Isabella Marie, if you think you can speak to me that way ..."

"What are you going to do about it? I told you in London that your opinion stopped being relevant the moment you walked out on our family."

Furious, Renee took a step towards Bella and raised her hand.

"Touch her and we will have you charged with assault. We have CCTV and a shop full of witnesses," asserted Rosalie. Renee looked around and sure enough, Angela, Renata and a few customers were standing nearby, watching the drama.

Without another word, Renee dropped her hand, wrapped her scarf around her neck and strode out of the gallery.

"That's right. Do the thing you're best at. Leaving."

Once she was out of sight, Angela stepped forwards and hugged both Bella and Rosalie.

"I think we need a drink stronger than coffee, don't you?"

"Totally agree," said Rosalie.

"Why don't we go to The Stag? I could do with seeing friendly faces right now," suggested Bella.

"Good idea."

They walked the five minutes down to The Stag, which was pretty quiet.

"Bella!" exclaimed Harry from behind the bar. He did not seem his usual friendly self. "What are you doing here?" His tone was one of surprise, and not in a good way. Bella was surprised at his less-than-warm welcome.

"We just came for a drink. We've had a busy afternoon and coffee wasn't going to cut it."

"Oh, right," he mumbled. She looked towards Angela who seemed similarly confused at Harry's demeanour. "What can I get you?"

"A small glass of Sauvignon Blanc for me."

"Half pint of Kingmaker, please," said Angela.

"Tanqueray and Tonic please," requested Rosalie.

"Coming right up, take a seat and I'll bring them over."

They sat at one of the traditional wooden tables by the back door

"Is it just me or is there something off with Harry?" asked Angela quietly.

"No, I thought the same thing."

Harry brought over their drinks and then retreated back to the bar. The sisters told their friend about the houses Rosalie had seen and discounted, and about Bella's plans with regards to the book deal and the wedding.

Just as they finished their drinks and were getting ready to leave, Sue walked through the door carrying a couple of grocery bags. When she saw Bella, Rosalie and Angela, she dropped them suddenly, a look of shock on her face.

"Sue, are you all right?" Bella got up to help her with the fallen bags.

"Yeah, uh, what are you doing here?"

"We just popped in for a drink. It's been an odd afternoon." Something in Sue's expression made Bella add, "Is that um, all right?"

"Sure. Of course," Sue replied, without conviction. Bella had gotten to know Sue a little when she worked at The Stag, but they'd never been particularly friendly. Bella had gotten on well with Harry and Seth, but Sue had always seemed a little wary of her.

"Are you sure? I feel like our presence here is upsetting both you and Harry, but I don't know why. Am I missing something?"

Sue looked at Harry, who looked away and started polishing glasses behind the bar.

"Bella, you're going to find out anyway, but I can't be the one to tell you," Sue told her, wiping away a stray tear. "You need to speak to Charlie."

"My dad … What did he do?"

Harry muttered something to himself, but Bella couldn't hear what he said.

"Please, just talk to him."

"Err ... all right then. We're heading off. Say hi to Seth for us." _Or is he mad at us too?_

"Sure."

Rosalie and Bella parted ways with Angela and walked home, where Charlie was just pulling up in his ancient Land Rover.

"Hello my girls, how are you? How was the house hunt?" he asked once he had exited the car and followed them inside.

"Fine, but we had two rather difficult encounters afterwards," replied Rosalie. "How was the hearing?"

"Hmm ..." Charlie pursed his lips together. "Mixed. Any chance of a cuppa, Tiger?"

"I'll make a pot," she said.

Bella slid into one of the chairs by the kitchen table and Charlie followed.

"Dad, before we talk about the hearing, can we talk about something odd that happened today in The Stag?"

"The Stag? You went to The Stag, why?" Charlie sounded anxious.

"For a drink. We needed it after running into our mother at Angela's gallery ..."

"WHAT?" Charlie interrupted. "She's in town?"

"Yes, but Dad, she's not important. We'll tell you about that later. When we got to The Stag, Harry and his wife were quite standoffish with us."

Charlie paled noticeably.

"Sue told us to ask you," said Rosalie. "What's going on, Dad?"

"Oh, God, I should have told you this a long time ago," he said, holding his head in his hands. "It's pretty complicated. I only found out some of it after Jacob, Billy and Royce were arrested."

Rosalie placed the tea things on the table and sat down too.

"What, Dad?"

"Here goes nothing ..."

Charlie told his daughters about his affair with Sue, and his devastation when she broke up with him. He went on to explain how their indiscretion had played a role in the fraud.

When he was done, Rosalie and Bella stared at their father in shock.

"Girls, please say something. I'm so sorry ..."

The silence continued.

"You weren't the one who was still married, Dad, and you couldn't possibly have known that Billy would blackmail Sue into keeping her mouth shut about the fraud," said Rosalie eventually.

"It makes sense now. Sue was perfectly pleasant, but always looked at me oddly, like she was keeping herself distant from me. Now I know why," realised Bella.

"I feel sorry for Harry and for Seth, finding out all of a sudden," added Rosalie.

"Yeah. Emmett had to dismiss Seth from the case, and apparently he'd worked day and night on it. One of the reasons Phil Dwyer used for requesting a second hearing was the fact that Seth had been the associate prosecutor."

"What happened at the hearing?"

"Well, Royce was not granted bail. He was deemed too much of a flight risk, given the fact that he'd escaped before and has international contacts, and he punched a remand officer in the face."

"What about Jacob?"

"Unfortunately, he has been granted bail."

Bella couldn't help it. She started shaking. She had convinced herself that no judge in his or her right mind would grant Jacob bail, so much so, that when Rosalie got upset, she'd been able to confidently reassure her. However, hearing that Jacob was out terrified her.

"Oh, hey, hey, come here, my little lamb." Charlie got up, sat in the chair next to Bella's and gave his daughter a big, fatherly hug. "I'm so sorry. The prosecutors threw every argument they could into the ring for why he shouldn't get bail, but he doesn't have any previous convictions or warnings."

"What if he tries to see us?"

"He can't. He's under a restraining order which means that he can't come within two hundred metres of us. He's wearing an ankle tag, has a seven pm to seven am curfew and has to report to the police station every day. You won't see him, Bella."

"What if the jury are as lenient as the judge was?"

"They won't be. The jury will see all the evidence. The judge makes a decision without it. Even thinking of it as a lawyer and not the father of a girl who was targeted by that slime ball, the evidence is solid. It's a straightforward case."

"I hope you're right, Dad."

"Me too, my little lamb," replied Charlie, stroking his younger daughter's hair. "I'm so sorry he did this to you, Bella. I should have protected you from him instead of encouraging you to have a relationship with him all those years ago."

"Dad, a predator like Jacob would have always found a way to take what he wanted, regardless of your approval or disapproval. That's why he has to be stopped."

A phone call on the house line interrupted the heaviness of the atmosphere. Rosalie jumped up to answer it.

"God, I hope this isn't more crap," she muttered as she picked up the receiver. "Hello?"

_"Hello, Mrs King?"_

"Yes?"

_"It's Claire. Claire Ateara from Avonside Properties?"_

"Oh, yes, hi."

_"I just got word from the landlord of the property you viewed today." _

"Oh?" Rosalie steeled herself for bad news.

_"I have good news! Your application has been accepted. You can move in on 4__th__ January."_

"I got it?"

_"Yes." _

Rosalie covered the receiver over to talk to Bella and Charlie.

"We're moving house! At least something's gone right today!"

-cc-

* * *

**AN: The next chapter will be out in a week, next Sunday. **


	35. Chapter 35

**AN: Hi everyone and thank you for your reviews. I really needed the feedback after a horrible week. Lots of people speculating on the owner of EMC Holdings ... all will be revealed in a chapter or two! **

**Big thanks to the lovely SunflowerFran who has beta'd this chapter. **

***Warning: This chapter contains a description of a violent, sexually motivated attack.***

**I do not own Twilight or any of the wonderful characters that Stephenie Meyer created to bewitch us all. I also do not own Jane Austen's ****_Persuasion._**** I am merely her humble admirer, and in borrowing plot points from her final published work, I mean only to honour her memory. This story is rated M for bad language and lemons. If you don't like these, please don't read it. Chapters 34 and 35 contain references to police and legal procedures. I'm not a lawyer; I've tried to make them as accurate as possible, but at the end of the day it's fiction and I have taken a few liberties. If an inaccurate detail bothers you, please let me know via a PM. **

**Thank you muchly! **

* * *

** Chapter Thirty-Five**

January 2013

Christmas came and went. Esme and Carlisle hosted Christmas dinner for the Cullens and the Swans at Riverview Place. Alice and Jasper went to Florida to spend the holidays with Alice's parents and sister in Boca Raton.

At the beginning of the month, Rosalie and Bella packed up their things and after lots of tears, moved out of the house they had shared for seven and a half years. Gemma and George took to the new house immediately. They loved the extra space. The garden was big enough for a George to play football and for Gemma to grow herbs and vegetables when the weather became warmer; Esme had given her a gardening book for Christmas and she had become obsessed with putting seeds into soil. Rosalie had the space she craved, and even though she was just renting, it felt like it was meant to belong to her.

Bella moved her things into Edward's cottage on the studio grounds, and also moved things into his London flat. Edward owned both properties outright so she didn't need to pay money towards the mortgage, but she and Edward had a little fight over splitting bills; in the end, Bella got her way and Edward agreed to let her pay half the bills at both places. Bella was not particularly design-orientated, but she added small touches of femininity to Edward's minimalist taste in decor, such as cream, light blue, violet and navy cushions and a vase or two, to break up all the masculine grey. In both properties, she placed a large, framed copy of the drawing the homeless man had made of them when they were eighteen, and photos of them, then and now.

Bella and Edward still had not set a date for their wedding. They wanted to wait until after the trial and Bella's first book tour, and wanted to enjoy living and working together for a while without the pressure of organising a wedding. And living together, right from the moment Bella moved in, had been effortless so far.

Two weeks into the New Year, the first day of the trials began at Birmingham Crown Court. Emmett, Jared and Sam petitioned for an early trial based on the amount of evidence collected and were successful. However, they were unsuccessful at trying to get Philip Dwyer dismissed from the case, after arguing that he was too close to the case because he was married to Charles Swan's ex-wife. Judge Lewis, a relatively new judge who had a reputation for staunchly sticking to the law, disagreed. He stated that whilst it was morally questionable to have a victim's estranged stepfather as their defence barrister, it was not illegal, and if the defendants did not object, neither would he. **(AN: A longer explanation of this point is provided at the end of the chapter)**

The rape and drugs trial was going to occur first, and then the fraud trial would happen immediately afterwards. Bella decided not to attend. She had already given her statements and a video testimony. She did not want to see Jacob ever again, except to see him sent down once convicted. Unfortunately, the choice was ultimately taken out of her hands on the first day of the trial.

Bella's iPhone rang while she was just finishing up the release paperwork for Alistair's first single, _Jealousy,_ and the caller was 'unknown.'

"Hello?"

_"Hello, is that Isabella Swan?"_

"Yes, who's this?"

_"Miss Swan, my name is Sam Uley, from the Crown Prosecution Service."_

"Oh yes, of course, Mr Uley. Everything all right? How was the first day of the trial?"

_"It was fairly straightforward, except, um ..."_

"What?"

_"The defence team have argued that the video testimony you gave wasn't detailed enough, and they want you to appear on the stand."_

"Are you joking?"

_"I wish I was. We tried to argue about the impact this might have on you, but ultimately the judge agreed with them. He felt that because you're not only a victim but also a witness, the defence has a right to be able to examine and cross-examine." _

"Oh, God ... When?"

_"In the next couple of days. You can appear behind a screen if you prefer."_

"What's the point? Jacob will know it's me and it won't make me feel any safer."

_"All right then, I'll be in touch."_

"Thank you Mr Uley."

Two days later, Bella was called to the stand. Edward was in the gallery, next to Charlie and Rosalie. She focused on them, and tried to ignore Jacob and Royce in the dock, and her mother on the other side of the public gallery. She saw Seth come in too, and he sat behind Edward.

Sam Uley began the questioning first, and it wasn't too difficult. First he asked her how she knew Jacob and Royce, and what had happened on the night of Charlie's birthday party when she believed she was drugged before having sex with Jacob. Sam emphasised the point that Bella was unable to consent to sex with Jacob because of her state and that she had been given the cocktails by Jacob. He went on to ask her about the night of Jessica's collapse, the Halloween party, Angela's reaction to seeing Jacob and him giving her another drink.

After a short recess, it was the defence's turn to question Bella. She had hoped that one of his associates would do the questioning, but Philip Dwyer himself decided to do the cross-examination, clearly intending to intimidate her. Bella looked at Edward and at Charlie and Rosalie; their expressions of love and support reinforced her resolve not to crumble in front of her stepfather.

"Miss Swan, you worked with Mr Black at AJE Records in the two months preceding his arrest. Is that correct?"

"Of sorts, Mr Dwyer. I was contracted by the record company to which The Hunters, the band Jacob managed, were signed, in order to develop six tracks for their album."

"So, if you believed that the defendant raped you, how could you work with him? Surely it would have been incredibly painful if that was the case."

"As I explained in the video testimony your team discounted earlier," Bella began, taking a deep breath so that her voice didn't shake, "I tolerated working with him during that week because I had promised my family I would be civil and polite whilst the CPS re-investigated his role in the fraud he and Royce King perpetrated ..."

"Conjecture, My Lord, Mr Black and Mr King have not yet been tried for that crime."

"So noted," replied Judge Lewis. "Please continue, Miss Swan."

"Right." Bella tried not to be thrown by the interruption. "It was extremely difficult. Jacob propositioned me daily, and eventually, at my birthday party, I agreed to have a coffee with him just to stop him from asking. But at the same birthday party, I talked to my cousin Jessica and she made a reference to the time, nine years earlier at my father's party, when I had acted out of character. We compared experiences, and I realised with horror that they were eerily similar, with the exception that I didn't end up in hospital."

"So when you made this 'realisation' why didn't you say something then?"

"Because it was my word against his, about an event that occurred nine years earlier. Jessica and I decided to discuss what had happened to us with my father, and he put us in touch with Chief Inspector Kennedy at Warwickshire Police."

"Miss Swan, please state for the record, the relevance of speaking to your father in this matter," asked Judge Lewis.

"My father is Charles Swan, who was Chief Crown Prosecutor for the West Midlands region for nearly fifteen years, from 1997 to 2012."

"When did you decide that you wanted to list yourself as a victim then if you initially thought that it was his word against yours?" asked Phil, his beady, blue eyes narrowing. "Maybe because you wanted him to suffer because you thought he was involved in the fraud against your family, because of your previous failed relationship, because of the attention you perceived you would receive as a victim?"

"Excuse me, My Lord," cried Sam Uley. "What kind of question is that?"

"A long one, I'll admit," replied the judge. "But I think Miss Swan should answer it." He turned and looked at Bella pointedly.

She swallowed hard. She was angry and trying to contain the tears that threatened to fall, like they always did when she was mad.

"I have never been one to seek attention, Mr Dwyer. I detest the spotlight, to which all my loved ones, even my estranged mother, would attest. I was raised to believe that truth and justice should always prevail. I've lived with nine years of self-disgust and confusion, feeling ashamed for having sex with Jacob Black when my heart wasn't his. But I didn't give myself to him. He took, when I was incapable of giving, and that was wrong. I just want to see justice done so that I can move on with my life, get married to my fiancé and live happily ever after."

Bella did not see Jacob, sitting in the dock, raise his head sharply at her words and stare, first at her face, and then at her left hand, where her beautiful ring, with its single, brilliant diamond, sat happily on her ring finger.

"As for 'listing' myself as a victim, I actually had no intention of doing any such thing," Bella continued. "When I was interviewed by the police and the CPS, they asked me if I consented to have sex with Jacob, and I told them that I didn't remember because of the drinks. When I told them about my erratic behaviour that night, and when Jessica, my sister Rosalie and my father confirmed how out of character it was for me, they questioned whether I had the ability to consent to sex."

Bella paused to take a sip of water before continuing. Her throat felt scratchy and dry.

"My family categorically stated that there was no way I would have been able to consent. And I'm sure you don't need me to point out that in English law, if a woman is unable to consent to sexual activity, then sex with her is considered rape."

"But how do we know that you actually had sex? It is your word against his."

"There were condoms in the bathroom bin. My sister and my cousin both saw them. I had to endure a mortifying conversation with Jessica, who was twelve at the time, about what they were because she'd never seen one before."

"Still ..." Phil began.

"Come to think of it, Mr Dwyer, _you_ were at my father's birthday party that night. Indeed, you were playing bartender to show off your mixology skills to my mother. Jacob even claimed that you had mixed the drinks he gave me. You've known me since I was twelve, so you should be able to attest to the fact that my behaviour was out of character."

There were gasps and murmurs from the gallery.

"Order!" cried Judge Lewis. "Mr Dwyer, is this true? I don't recall seeing it in your statements."

"That's not true!" cried Phil. "That can't be true! Miss Swan, you're committing perjury by implying ..."

"You're in the photographs of that night. The photographs _your_ defence team asked our family to submit," Bella replied, standing her ground despite her pounding heart.

Phil stared at her for a long moment before turning towards his associates who were rifling through the paperwork on their bench. Sam Uley, meanwhile, scrambled to find the photographs to which Bella referred amongst his own pile of information. He got their before Phil Dwyer's stooges and waved them at the judge.

"My Lord, I can categorically confirm that is not mentioned in any of the defence team's statements that Mr Dwyer was there on the night in question, and is clearly present on these date-stamped photos. I would also like to point out, once again, that the prosecution had to be the ones to highlight the fact that Mr Dwyer is Miss Swan's stepfather. He did not venture that information himself," confirmed Sam.

"Well, I, uh, didn't realise it was the same night," Phil ventured feebly. "And the fact that my wife is Miss Swan's mother has no bearing on my ability to try this case."

"I agree with the latter, but as for the former, well ... I'm sorry Mr Dwyer, but now that you've been shown to be a witness, I can't allow cross-examination. You need to give a statement and hand over questioning to one of your associates."

"But ..."

"Mr Dwyer, you are skating on extremely thin ice by attempting to argue with me. Your professional conduct is going to be subject to an investigation as a result of your omission as it is, so I suggest you pipe down," Judge Lewis hissed, anger and irritation evident in his pinched features. "Miss Swan, you are excused, but you may be called to testify again."

"Thank you, My Lord."

The judge called a recess for the rest of the day, and Bella went to meet her family.

"Bella, you were amazing!" cried Charlie. "The perfect prosecution witness!"

"Seriously, Bellsie, it was awesome."

"How are you holding up, love?" asked Edward, holding out his arms. She walked into them and rested her head against his chest.

"Better now that it's over. I just hate the possibility of having to go back."

"To be honest, I don't know if there's any point in either side calling you back to the stand. You've made your points," Charlie said.

"I totally agree," replied Sam Uley, coming up behind them with Seth. "You know Seth Clearwater, right?"

Charlie stiffened.

"Yes, hi Seth, how are you?" asked Bella, separating herself from Edward. "Edward, do you remember Seth? Our first date, you helped him out by playing piano for him?"

"_Amazing Grace,_ right?" Seth nodded. "Great to see you again. I remember you and your amazing singing voice."

"Thanks man. I have to say, I love your work." Seth turned to Charlie and Rosalie. "Mr Swan, Rosalie."

"Hello."

"Are you part of the prosecution team, Seth?" asked Edward

"No. I'm still working for the Fraud team, but on different cases. My case for this morning was postponed, so I decided to come into the gallery. You were fantastic on the stand, Bella."

"Well, I had good coaching thanks to Dad and Mr Uley."

"Please, call me Sam."

"Look, Bella, I wanted to come over to say that even though stuff happened between your father," Seth looked over at Charlie, "and my mother and things are weird, you're still a good friend of mine. I don't want that to change and I hope you feel the same way."

"Of course," Bella replied, and hugged him warmly. "Once all this trial stuff is over, maybe we could get together, and when Edward and I set a date for a wedding, I really hope you, and your family, will come."

"I'd love to," Seth replied politely. Bella noticed that he didn't say 'we.' "Congratulations, by the way. You're a lucky man, Edward."

"Thank you. Luckiest in the world." Edward rubbed Bella's back and they smiled at each other adoringly. Edward, feeling nostalgic, decided to venture forth an idea. "Say, Seth?"

"Yep?"

"It's a little way off, and we haven't set a date yet, but would you consider singing at our wedding? _Amazing Grace_ or whatever you wanted. You were an important part of our first date, and it would be lovely if you could be part of our wedding."

"Oh, ah ..." Seth shifted his weight from one foot to another, and Edward realised that he'd made him uncomfortable, having temporarily forgotten about the awkwardness between the Swans and the Clearwaters. "I haven't performed in a long time. May I think about it?"

"Of course."

The group dissipated. Charlie and Rosalie decided to go for lunch in Central Birmingham, and went to find a taxi. Edward and Bella decided to go to the nearby train station in order to return to Stratford. As they walked away from the courts, huddled together against a biting winter wind, their departure was watched by an extremely irate Jacob Black.

-cc-

Bella was not called back to the witness stand, and she and Edward got on with their busy schedule. Three days later, Siobhan and Liam came up from London. While Liam, Edward and Alice, went into meetings with the marketing team to plan Alistair Kinsella's single and album launch, Siobhan and Bella talked about logistics for her upcoming book tour, and the promotional activities she needed to do.

"So, we'll need to get you some better headshots for the inside cover of the book, and for the website and press releases. Can you get down to London in a week's time?"

"What, do I really have to, Siobhan? Can't I just use an existing picture?"

"No, it has to be new and look professional. Good photos will emphasise your natural prettiness and approachability, and it truly does make a difference." Siobhan pulled out her iPhone. "Do you still have the dress you wore to the showcase in the summer? You looked fab in that. We should get shots of you in something similar."

Bella looked at her sceptically, so Siobhan showed her a picture on her iPhone, taken at the AJE Records showcase the night of Jessica's collapse. Bella had to admit that she did look good, and took the phone from Siobhan's hand to get a better look.

"Hmm, all right, as long as they're not too flashy." Bella swept her thumb along the screen a couple of times, almost involuntarily, before realising that it wasn't her phone. She was about to hand it back when something on the screen caught her eye. "Sorry, can I just ..."

The picture that had caught her eye was of Alice in the foreground, but in the background, clear as crystal, was a drunk-looking Jessica being handed a lurid, pink drink by a smiling Jacob Black in the corner of the bar. Bella swept to the next photo, and there they were again. _Oh my God, it's definitive proof that Jacob gave Jessica a drink. _

"Bella, what's going on?"

"Siobhan, please could I get copies of all your photos from the night of the showcase?"

After Siobhan kindly let Bella download the photos in question, Bella went to find Edward. Together they rang Sam Uley to tell him about the new evidence. Not wanting to risk an email which could be intercepted, Sam asked them to print the photographs and drop them at Colin Kennedy's office at the police station; he would collect them on the way home from the court in Birmingham.

Edward insisted on going with her in the car, but Bella asked him to wait while she ran into see the Chief Inspector.

"I'll only be five minutes, _mon ange, _and if you leave the car unattended, you'll get a ticket."

Edward grumbled but agreed.

Bella found Colin Kennedy's office quickly, and gave him the photographs. He thanked her profusely and logged them into the evidence lock in her presence.

"Thanks so much for these. I'm sure they'll help," he told her. "Can I show you out?"

"Oh, no, I'll be fine. I'm sure you're busy."

Colin Kennedy was indeed busy as he had a crime scene to attend, and so he didn't insist upon it. Bella left his office and turned one way, towards where she thought were the stairs, but instead got lost in a maze of corridors and offices. She asked someone the way out and followed their directions. She made her way to the ground floor, but it was on the wrong side of the building from where Edward was parked. Trying to orientate herself, she turned down an alley, realised that she'd made yet another wrong turn and moved to go back the way she came when suddenly her path was blocked.

By Jacob Black.

"Well, what a stroke of luck. I come to check in with the police and who do I find?" he sneered. "Bella Swan, all alone."

"Jacob, you shouldn't be anywhere near me! The restraining order ..."

"Like I give a flying fuck! I don't understand why you'd do this to me, Bella! All I wanted was to be with you and you throw my attention back in my face! You accuse me of raping you when we both know you wanted it deep down. You were gagging for it, you slut! You just didn't know you wanted it!"

"I never wanted it! I barely let you kiss me, and when I did I hated it! Now please, let me go!"

"Oh, I don't think so!" He placed his hands on the walls, completely preventing her from passing. "Thanks to your little performance in court, I'm going down anyway, so I might as well take what I want!"

"Why do you even care? I'm just one girl!"

"No, you're MY girl! You were always supposed to be mine in the end! But no, you can't see quality when it's in front of you. You have to go slumming it with Edward fucking Cullen! I saw you!"

"You know what, you're utterly deluded! I've never belonged to you. It's always been Edward, ever since we were eighteen. He loves me, and I love him."

Jacob didn't seem to be listening. He stepped closer, and Bella stepped back. He let go of one of the walls and used his hand to pin her to the other wall, pressing painfully on her shoulder. She whimpered in fear.

"Does your fiancé know you like to play the frigid bitch? Who would have thought that Edward Cullen, well known ladies' man, would fancy the challenge of getting into Bella's tight little pussy? If you think about it, I'm doing him a favour, by opening you up for him, making it easier ..."

Jacob used his body weight to hold her against the wall and moved his hand from her shoulder to his neck. His other hand drifted to the top button of her trousers. She started to scream for help, but he slapped her across the face, causing tears to flow from her wide, scared eyes, and then covered her mouth.

Edward had been waiting for fifteen minutes and was starting to worry. He got out of the car, and contemplated going into the police station to find her, when someone called his name.

"Hi Edward!"

"Hey, Seth, how are you?"

"Good thanks, just been interviewing someone. What brings you here?"

"Bella went to leave some photos with Chief Inspector Kennedy. I'm just waiting for her. She's been in there a while though."

"Edward, Colin Kennedy left ten minutes ago to go to a crime scene. I saw him go."

"Then where is she?" he asked, panicked. They started walking towards the main entrance, when they both heard a distant scream that suddenly stopped.

Edward recognised it as belonging to Bella.

Both men ran towards the location of the noise, and for a split second got disorientated, but then heard the sound of whimpering and crying. They followed it to an alley behind the police station and Edward's heart almost shattered when he saw his beloved Bella. She was cowering, white with terror except for the angry, red mark on her cheek, at the mercy of Jacob Black who was pawing and tearing at her clothes.

"What the fuck! Get the hell off her!" bellowed Seth_._

They both ran towards her, but Jacob didn't let go until Edward and Seth pried his hands off Bella.

"You fucking bastard!" Edward yelled.

Edward, unable to contain the rage inside him, swiftly punched Jacob in the face and kicked him in the stomach. Jacob fell to the ground, clutching his abdomen. Edward then turned to Bella and took her into his arms.

"I'm here, love. I'm here." Bella stood on her tiptoes and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I'm going to get some help, okay?" said Seth, who then started running back up the alley.

Over Edward's shoulder, Bella suddenly saw Jacob start to get up and screamed.

"No!" she cried, afraid that Jacob would hurt Edward.

Acting purely on instinct, she slipped out of Edward's embrace and kicked Jacob again, and her foot landed squarely on Jacob's groin. He fell back to the ground, this time clutching his dick.

Bella almost kicked him again, but Edward wrapped himself around her, lifted her up and carried her away. It took Seth seconds to find police officers, who were already on their way from the control room after spotting the incident on CCTV. A female officer stayed with Edward and Bella as she started crying helplessly in Edward's arms.

"I've got you, love. I've got you. I'll never let you go, if you never let me go, remember?" he whispered in her ear. "It's over. Bella, I love you so much. Always, _toujours ... _my beautiful girl, my strong, bold, brave girl, you're safe ... you're safe."

-cc-

"No, no, no ... Don't touch me ... I'm not yours ... Leave me alone, Jacob ... No, No ... Aagh, don't touch me! Don't touch me ...!"

"Bella, wake up! Please, love, please wake up!"

Edward tried desperately to rouse Bella from her nightmare. She was tossing and turning, clammy with sweat as the trauma Jacob put her through played out in her sleep. Finally, after an agonising minute, she opened her eyes, blinking rapidly. When she focused on his face, she sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry, _mon ange."_

"Don't you dare apologise, Bella love," he told her. "It's not your fault. It's _his_."

"But it's the third night in a row I've woken you up," she replied. "You must be exhausted."

"You didn't wake me up. I couldn't sleep."

She snuggled closer to him so that the entire lengths of their bodies were touching, and brought her lips to his lightly.

"Did you try?"

He was tempted to lie, but he knew she'd see through it, so shook his head.

"I thought that if I stayed awake, I'd be able to wake you before the nightmare started, but I couldn't," he whispered, moving his hand from the small of her back to his face to wipe away some hot teardrops, which had collected under his long, copper eyelashes. "I didn't protect you then, and I couldn't protect you just now."

"Shh ... it's not your fault either, _mon ange_. The only way Jacob would have stopped trying to get at me, and raping girls, were if he behind bars in prison. He clearly gets off on taking away the girl's choice. Once he's convicted and locked up for years, my nightmares will go, and we'll get back to normal."

"You sound so sure, my love."

"I have to be. Otherwise I wouldn't get out of bed in the morning. Edward, now that I have you back, and have this incredible life, I actually want to live it. And I'm not going to let what he tried to do stop me."

Jacob continued to maintain his innocence even when the jury were shown the photos from Siobhan's phone, CCTV of the attack on Bella and photos of the bruises and her torn clothing. Phil Dwyer was fuming. He'd taken the case to show his superiority as a barrister, thinking he could argue against the evidence; now the case was virtually a foregone conclusion, He looked like a fool, he was being investigated for misconduct and the Swans looked like saints.

The case drew the attention of the media, which caused difficulties for everyone at AJE Records because the studio gates were surrounded by paparazzi 24/7. But the media attention did help to bring other victims forward, both from the UK and from the island of Jersey.

One surprise victim was Victoria Hunter, who came forward to give evidence, even though her husband James threatened to divorce her and fire her from the band. She went ahead regardless, describing three incidents where she had ended up in Jacob's bed without remembering how she got there.

Prince Records released a statement saying that they were dropping The Hunters from their label after the release of their album. They expected album sales to be poor as the public failed to warm to James Hunter in particular (even though the critics loved it). Furthermore, his arrogance outweighed his talent, which led to complaints from gig promoters, radio stations and even fans. Finally, Prince Records did not want to be associated with an act which had a rapist for a manager, and weren't prepared to wait for The Hunters to find a new one.

Two weeks after Bella's attack, the trial wrapped up. It took a jury less than two hours to decide that Jacob Black and Royce King were guilty of rape, attempted rape, assault with intent to rape, and the possession, distribution and manufacture of illegal Class B substances.

The judge gave Royce a sentence of eight years for the drugs and ten for the sexual offences, to be served consecutively, with a minimum of twelve before parole would be considered. Jacob got eight years for the drug offences as well, but was given twenty years for the sexual offences because of his attack on Bella. It would be a minimum of eighteen years before he would be considered for parole. Jacob and Royce went down kicking and screaming while the Swans and the Cullens rejoiced in the gallery.

The fraud trial followed a week later, and after being presented with the evidence, the jury found them both guilty of those crimes too. Royce, being the mastermind, got ten years, which were to be added to his rape sentences consecutively, increasing his minimum jail time from twelve to eighteen years. Jacob was given seven years, and his minimum jail time went from eighteen to twenty-one years. Billy was given a year for perverting the course of justice, but would be unlikely to serve more than three months. Furthermore, the judge ordered that all Royce and Jacob's profits from the fraud would be divided between the victims, thus ensuring that the Swans' future was financially secure for generations to come.

-cc-

Rosalie was hosting dinner at her house to celebrate Royce and Jacob being convicted. Bella and Edward had taken the twins swimming, so she was alone in the house, getting ready. It was the first time she'd had friends over for a very long time, and she was nervous, especially because she and Emmett were finally going to tell their friends and family that they were together.

She had just put a shepherd's pie in the oven, and had a winter vegetable casserole cooking on the stove (following Esme's and Bella's recipes to the letter- Rosalie was not a confident cook) when the doorbell rang.

Emmett was standing on her doorstep carrying flowers, wine, chocolate and the biggest grin.

"Hey, gorgeous girl, are you gonna let me in?"

Rosalie squealed and pulled him inside. He barely had time to put the presents down before she jumped into his arms.

"I can't believe it! It's finally over, handsome." She covered his face with kisses before adding, "What are you doing here so early?" He looked at his watch.

"Only five minutes, love. Six o'clock, right?"

"No, seven o'clock. Nothing's ready yet. Who told you to be here at six?"

"Bella."

"Huh. She and Edward are still at the leisure centre taking the kids swimming. It's not like her to get times wrong."

"Well, I'm here now, and I for one am not going to complain about alone time with you, Rosie."

"Me neither," she replied before dipping her head so she could brush her lips against his.

"Please would you do me the honour of showing me your new house?" asked Emmett, looking around him.

Rosalie grinned, grabbed his hand and gave him the tour, showing him the upstairs first, then the living room and dining room. After pointing out the garden, they ended up in the kitchen. It didn't take long before Rosalie was sat on the kitchen table with Emmett standing in between her legs cupping her face and kissing her with wild abandon.

"What about ..." Emmett lost his words as Rosalie started sucking his neck, "aah, um, when are they due back?"

"Not ... for ... at least ... half an hour ... they have to get through the traffic ..."

Emmett had got the bus and walked up to Rosalie's house, so he could have some beers instead of staying sober to drive. Bella hadn't anticipated this, therefore, when she and Edward arrived back at the house with the twins, she thought he hadn't yet arrived for there was no sign of his Audi.

Bella wondered, stepping into the hallway, whether he was running late because she'd deliberately told him to come early to give them a little alone time. But, when they walked into the kitchen, they found him and Rosalie on the kitchen table, their shirts half open; Emmett's face and neck were covered in Rosalie's lipstick and her hair was a golden mess.

"Emm-itt, what are you doing to my mum?!" exclaimed George.

"George! Um ..." he looked at Rosalie, who didn't have any answers; she was too busy trying to button up her blouse.

"I thought you guys were going to be back at six thirty," she mumbled.

"Rosie, it's quarter to seven," replied Bella, who was trying not to laugh. Seeing her usually cool, calm, composed sister dishevelled, and Emmett covered in lipstick, was like a scene out of a comedy movie.

"Emm-itt! What were you doing?" George demanded. He was easy-going except when he didn't understand what was going on.

"George, you remember when you said your Mummy should go out with Emmett, and she said she'd think about it?" ventured Edward, deciding to be kind and help his brother and Rosalie out of their current jam.

George nodded.

"Yeah ..."

"Oh Mummy, did you say yes?" put in Gemma. "Are you going out with Emmett now?"

"Are you, Mum?"

"Yes, babies. Emmett and I quite like each other, and we have done for a while now, so you'll be seeing him around a lot more. And when grown-ups like each other a lot, they kiss each other, a lot."

"Does that mean he's going to be wearing your lipstick more?"

Edward, Bella, Emmett and Rosalie burst into peals of laughter.

"Maybe just at Halloween," joked Edward, slapping his brother on the shoulder.

Emmett glanced over, and the brothers grinned at each other. Edward was not surprised at seeing them together. He knew something was up when Emmett ducked away shyly at George and Gemma's suggestion that he could go out with Rosalie instead of laughing raucously. At Christmas, Edward noticed with interest that Emmett's eyes barely left Rosalie the whole time. He glanced at his Bella, and realised from the gleeful, self-satisfied smirk on her face, that she had played a hand in engineering Rosalie and Emmett's current situation.

"Bella, did you give Emmett the wrong time on purpose?" Rosalie enquired.

"Who, me?" Bella chuckled. "Of course not ... I must have just got it wrong ..." she replied whilst glancing up to the ceiling and shrugging her shoulders.

"Yeah, right, Little Miss Organised!" Rosalie retorted. "Seriously, how long have you known that we were ... you know?"

Bella paused for a moment before answering.

"The twins' birthday."

"Seriously?" Emmett's eyes almost bulged out of his head. "But we were so careful!"

"Except that you didn't check the pantry when having deep and detailed discussions with our dad in the kitchen ..."

The doorbell rang, indicating the arrival of everyone else and interrupting Bella's explanation.

"I'll get it." Bella slid past them, keen to get out of the conversation in the kitchen, and opened the door to Carlisle and Esme, who was carrying Beth. Alice and Jasper, Ben and Angela, and Charlie all arrived within moments of each other. Emmett and Rosalie weren't given a chance to explain what was going on. With each new arrival, George proudly announced that Emmett was going out with his Mummy and that he was going to be wearing the lipstick again at Halloween, ensuring lots of surprised laughs but also congratulations.

Later, when the twins had gone to bed and the adults were in Rosalie's new, large, light and spacious living area drinking port and eating cheese, Charlie got to his feet.

"I'd just like to make a little toast." He raised his glass, "To my amazing, beautiful daughters. You've both been through hell and high water these past few years, and now it's all over. You're both happy and successful and loved. That's all I ever wanted for you, even if I didn't always show it. To Rosalie and Bella!"

"To Rosalie and Bella!" Everyone raised their glasses and drank.

"Now, I've got some good news and some not so good news about which I need to let you know, and I don't mind telling all of you because I consider everyone here part of our family," Charlie continued. Before anyone could interrupt, he kept talking. "So let me start with the good news. I just spoke to our family lawyer, and we will be receiving our share of the money Royce stole from us, and the assets he accumulated as a result, within the next month."

"Dad, that's great!" exclaimed Rosalie. Charlie didn't respond, except to sit down.

"Dad?"

"Dad, what else do you need to tell us?" enquired Bella gently.

Charlie glanced at Carlisle, the only person who knew what was going on.

"So, I've been having a couple of health problems recently. I was going to ignore it, but Carlisle talked me into getting a check-up, and the bottom line is, I'm going to be having an operation next week."

"What for?" whispered Rosalie, clutching Emmett's hand.

"It's for my prostate, Tiger. They found some cancerous cells."

"Oh, Dad," murmured Bella, tearing up.

"I don't want to worry you because the doctors say that the operation will get rid of it, and I'm going to be taking medication for a while just to make sure."

"Why didn't you say anything before?" asked Rosalie.

"I didn't want you to worry like you're doing now," Charlie replied.

"If Carlisle hadn't made you go to the doctor, it could have been so much worse, couldn't it?" Rosalie shuddered at the thought.

"Yes, but I did, Rosalie," responded Carlisle, "and it's been caught before it could spread out of the prostate. The course of treatment upon which Charlie's decided has a very high success rate and the cancer is unlikely to come back."

"Bella, my little lamb, you're awfully quiet," Charlie observed. "I'm going to be all right."

"You better be, Dad," she cried. "We've got lives to enjoy, and you're part of it." Bella got up and hugged him. "You need to give me away in the not too distant future," she whispered into his ear.

"I'll be there, my little lamb."

"Dad, please tell me you're taking some time off work to recover from this operation?" Rosalie demanded. "You need at least a few weeks, right? And you should come to stay with us here. You can't recover on a boat or in an apartment by yourself."

"Rosalie's right, Charlie," agreed Esme. "You should allow yourself three to four weeks off, at least."

"That won't be a problem. I've decided to take early retirement. I'm moving out of the apartment in Birmingham as soon as the money comes through. I've already got my eye on a little riverside cottage with its own mooring for the narrow boat."

"Thank God!" cried Rosalie and Bella in unison. Rosalie stood up to join Bella and her father. Charlie put his arms around his daughters.

"I know you're scared for me girls, but this is the last hurdle we're going to have to face for a while." He looked over at Edward and Emmett. "The future's bright, for all of us."

That night, for the first time in weeks, Bella had no nightmares.

-cc-

* * *

**AN: Several people asked why it was okay for Billy, Jacob and Royce to have Phil Dwyer as a defence lawyer when he is Bella's stepfather, but not Judge Gerandy to try the case because he went to law school with Charlie. The reason is because judges must be seen to be impartial in order to guarantee a fair trial. Also, prosecuting lawyers, because they are employed by the Crown and work on behalf of the Queen and the State, should also be seen to be impartial and not gain personally from a successful prosecution. This is why Emmett has to hide his relationship with Rosalie and tries to keep as much distance between himself and the case, until the end. **

**Defence lawyers on the other hand, work for their clients, and do not have to be impartial in the slightest. They do have a code of conduct, however, and I believe that they are expected to declare conflicts of interest. **

**Usually a big case would take months to get to trial, but as this is fiction, I have taken some liberties with the timeline. I would also like to reiterate that I'm not a trained lawyer and may have made mistakes in describing procedure, although I have tried to do my research.**

**-cc-**

**The next update should go out in a week's time, next Sunday. Thank you for reading and reviewing! **


End file.
